Lee -  Town was awarded a $290,000 federal grant from the National Scenic Byways program to go towards the $366,000 cost of designing the southern half of the "conceptual route".  The remaining $73,000 will be covered by funds the MassDOT.
 
North Adams/Williamstown - Town also received National Scenic Byway funds to move the Williamstown project closer to construction and redesign sections in NA.
 
Adams - Planned extension to Friend Street met was with some opposition from tenants in the corporate park.  The town is working to respond to their concerns about parking and potential vandalism.  This requires some redesign by MassDOT and will postpone any construction until next Spring.
 
Pittsfield  - The MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) in Boston selected Pittsfield for the $2.3 m in transportation funds reallocated from the Lenox project.  The issue now is who will own and maintain the section from Lanesboro to Merrill Road, and what will be the procedure to begin negotiating with the Housatonic Railroad.

MassDOT And RMV Bringing Bicyclist Safety To Drivers

The RMV worked with MassDOT and MassBike to release a new version of the Driver's Manual that for the first time includes information for drivers about how to safely interact with bicyclists. In response to the 2009 Bicyclist Safety Act spearheaded by MassBike, the "Rules of the Road" section of the manual now specifically talks about motorist behavior in the presence of bicyclists (such as how to pass and turn safely and the danger of dooring). These changes are also specifically referenced in an expanded "Sharing the Road" section right at the beginning of the manual (along with a very strong statement that motorists must respect and protect bicyclists on the road), and again in the "Safety First" section. This is an important step toward ensuring that motorists drive more safely around bicyclists, and we will continue to work with the RMV to better integrate this information throughout the manual.
 
The changes to the Driver's Manual are complemented by an important change to the licensing written test: Every applicant for a driver's license now gets a question on a bicycle safety issue. Because applicants can be sure that bicycle safety will be on the test, it creates a strong incentive for individuals to study this material carefully and for Driver's Education programs to include it in their training. Over time we can be sure that more and more drivers will learn how to drive more safely around bicyclists.