The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) is excited to announce that the MassTrails program has awarded funding of $300,000 to support the design of an active transportation path along Canal Street in Lawrence, Massachusetts. MVPC will match this award with an additional $75,000.

This section of Canal Street, linking the under-construction Lawrence to Manchester Rail Trail and the Spicket River Greenway, was identified as one of the region’s six priority active transportation projects in the MV Moves Active Transportation Plan. After City of Lawrence and MVPC hosted several walk audits on Canal Street in the summer of 2024, Toole Design completed a conceptual report of alternatives for the corridor later that year, funded by MVPC.

This award will fund several necessary activities prior to initiating design of any of the alternatives identified in the 2024. These include:

• Topographical Survey to Establish ROW
• ROW Research
• Structural Evaluation of the Canal Wall
• Inventory Existing Traffic Signal Equipment

“The Canal Street corridor is a key link in creating a continuous network of safe and inviting routes for walking and bicycling across the Merrimack Valley,” said MVPC Transportation Program Manager, Patrick Reed. “This grant allows us to take the next critical step from vision to design, connecting neighborhoods, downtowns, and regional trails that support active transportation and community vitality in Lawrence and beyond.”

MassTrails, a program of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, is funding the project as part of $7.5 million awarded to 50 trail projects across the Commonwealth.

Of the awards statewide, Governor Maura Healey said, “[Trails] bring people into town to eat at local restaurants, stay in small hotels and shop at small businesses. When we invest in trails, we’re investing in jobs, tourism and the local businesses that keep Massachusetts moving forward.”

For more information, follow or reach out to the Transportation Program with any questions. To learn more about MVPC’s efforts in making streets safer for all users, visit the Vision Zero page of the Transportation Program.