Greylock Road Construction, thanks to AMC bbs for info

[Mike P.]

From the AMC Trails Dept.:

The Mount Greylock State Reservation Historic Parkway Rehabilitation Project

On November 1, 2006, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Stephen H. Burrington announced that $21.3 million in state funding has been allocated by the Romney Administration through the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) for the Historic Parkway Rehabilitation at Mount Greylock State Reservation in northern Berkshire County.

“This project is the largest single capital improvement project ever undertaken in the Massachusetts state park system,” said Commissioner Burrington. “It is fitting that this work will be done to restore the historically significant parkway at Mount Greylock, the Commonwealth’s highest peak, one of the Berkshire’s most popular tourist destinations, and state park system’s first acquisition, back in 1898.”

The 13.5 miles of historic parkway at Mount Greylock consist of three roads: Rockwell Road (7.3 miles), Notch Road (5.72 miles) and Summit Road (0.77 miles). The parkway’s winding route, naturalistic design and spectacular sequence of vistas reflect the design and craftsmanship of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a Depression-era public works program. Corps members completed the roads in 1939. The goal of the project is to rehabilitate the historic parkway system in a manner that balances safety, recreation, conservation and historic landscape preservation.

Due to seasonal constraints, construction will occur between April 1 and November 1 as weather permits. Mount Greylock roads will be closed to the public for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Road closures during construction will provide substantial financial savings as well as speeding up the time it will take to complete the project. The Visitors Center on Rockwell Road in Lanesborough will remain open during construction.

During construction, while roads are closed to the public, trails on the state reservation will be open to walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers. As construction work is not expected to take place during the winter months, winter activities such as cross country skiing, snowmobiling and winter camping are not expected to be impacted by the parkway rehabilitation project.

Sperry Road Campground will be open to backpack campers only. Reservations will be limited to two-night stays and can be made through the ReserveAmerica online reservation system (reserveamerica.com). Car campers will be directed to nearby DCR campgrounds at Clarksburg State Park, Savoy Mountain State Forest and Mohawk Trail State Forest.

DCR plans to work with state and regional tourism officials and non-profit organizations such as the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Appalachian Trail Committee to notify tourists, residents and visitors to Mount Greylock regarding plans to close the roads up the mountain during construction. DCR will also have updates on the project posted on the agency website at www.mass.gov/dcr.
The Summit of Mount Greylock State Reservation, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features a number of CCC-era structures, including Bascom Lodge, the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter and the scenic vistas and the historic War Memorial Tower. Bascom Lodge and the War Memorial Tower will be closed during the reconstruction project.

[threecy]

Apparently they're going to try to make the area look like it did 100 or so years ago...pretty big pricetag for that if you ask me!

[montvm]

Originally Posted by threecy

Apparently they're going to try to make the area look like it did 100 or so years ago...pretty big pricetag for that if you ask me!

Now at least there won't be so many damn people at the summit if you hike it in this time span

[Talisman]

I like having the road closed for a few years as autos at the summit don't enhance the experience.

[cbcbd]

I hope they make the road nice and smooth - it was a real experience descending on the road bike this summer.

[threecy]

While I'm mostly a fan of it as a hiker (one disadvantage will be having Bascom Lodge/War Memorial closed), I'm not at all a fan of this as a MA taxpayer (read sodomized financially)