Lost Villages Scenic Byway (Route 122)
Lost Villages Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan -
Byway Committee - Links
Lost Villages Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan Maps
Barre Center Map - Barre Cultural Resources Map - Barre Open Space Map - Barre Zoning Map - Buildout Map (Complete Study Area) - Land Use (Complete Study Area) - Oakham Cultural Resources Map - Oakham Open Space Map - Oakham Zoning Map - Pavement Management Map (Complete Study Area) - Paxton Center Map - Paxton Cultural Resources Map - Paxton Open Space Map - Paxton Zoning Map - Petersham Cultural Resources Map - Petersham Open Space Map - Petersham Zoning Map - Rutland Cultural Resources Map - Rutland Open Space Map - Rutland Zoning Map - Scenic Resources Map (Complete Study Area) - Traffic Volume Map (Complete Study Area) - Water Resources Map (Complete Study Area) - Wildlife Resources Map (Complete Study Area)
A 29-mile stretch of Route 122 that starts in Petersham and passes through Barre, Oakham, Rutland, and Paxton has been designated as a National Scenic Byway through the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program. The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission coordinated and administered the National Scenic Byways grant that was used to complete a Corridor Management Plan that can be accessed from this web page. Hard copies of this report are being sent out to all of the communities along the Byway, as well as federal, state, and regional agencies, Advisory Committee members, legislators, and others.
If you would like a copy of this report please contact Rosemary Scrivens
What the Scenic Byway Program Is:
A Source of Funding for Management Plans: The Program allows communities along a Byway to plan amenities for the roadway in an integrated and comprehensive approach. CMPRC has obtained a grant to prepare the management plan for the Route 122 Scenic Byway and this process has just begun.
A Source of Funding for Byway Enhancements: Once a Scenic Byway Management Plan has been prepared, the communities along the Byway can apply for funding to construct the physical improvements recommended in the Plan. Thus, the true nature of the Scenic Byway Program is similar to an enhancement program. Routine roadway maintenance and reconstruction are not eligible for implementation funds; rather, implementation money is most often used for improvement projects such as: improving links to nearby recreation areas, installation of historic markers, town common improvements, off-road parking areas, informational kiosks, scenic vista preservation, etc.
What the Program Is Not:
This program has absolutely no impact on private property rights. The program is not at all akin to a local Scenic Road designation that can impose restrictions on private lands abutting a scenic road – such as tree removal or altering stonewalls. The Scenic Byway Program is simply another avenue for obtaining funds for improvement projects along the roadway, one based on a management plan that has been informed through significant public participation.
Project Tasks: The Byway Management Plan will include the following tasks:
- Stakeholder Interviews: The Byway’s various stakeholders will be interviewed to list their concerns and gather information about the Byway’s many resources.
- Inventory, Assessment and Analysis: CMRPC will prepare an inventory and an assessment of the byway's resources (scenic, historical, archeological, natural, cultural and recreational).
- Public Outreach and Goal Setting: At this point, CMRPC will convene a series of public workshops to keep the citizens informed of the project’s progress and solicit their input.
- Policies, Plans and Recommendations: The Plan will conclude with a set of recommendations intended to enhance and improve the byway experience. These recommendations will include regulatory and non-regulatory ideas as well as on-the-ground physical improvement projects along the byway.
- Prepare, print, publicize and distribute the final plan.