SUNDERLAND — While final tweaks and changes are expected before the end of June, residents and the Select Board recently got a first look at the feasibility study for the Norwottuck North Shared-use Path.

Sunderland, the lead town on a $195,090 MassTrails grant, in which it also provided a $76,840 grant match, is trying to determine if a 6.7-mile shared-use path, from the Whately Park and Ride to Meadow Street in Amherst is possible. The intent is to create a new recreational trail for walkers, cyclists and others that also will provide a new connection between the towns of Whately, Deerfield, Sunderland and Amherst that is accessible without a car.

The short answer to the prompt is yes, the Norwottuck Shared-use path is a possibility, according to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) engineer Jim Czach, who shared the conceptual draft of the trail to the community at a meeting on May 19. The project, still in the feasibility study stage, has a long way to go and no decisions have been made.

“This is a great connector project,” Czach said. “Our goal is to finish this prior to June.”

The long answer is that while the trail is physically possible, the estimated price tag will be a reach for the four communities, as Czach said an initial estimate for the trail could be upward of $50 million, as 6.7 miles is a long distance to cover and some of the work could be pricey, including changes to the Sunderland Bridge.

Czach noted this project is not something that would be done all at once and there is plenty of federal and state money the towns could tap into.

“This is most likely to be done in sections,” Czach said. “This is going to be a process over many years.”

With the state owning Route 116 and including this region as a high priority for trails, Select Board member Dan Murphy said financial assistance is certainly possible.

“This is a MassDOT road, they own it, they control it and they said do a feasibility study. They obviously have some interest,” Murphy said, noting that the state has given a lot of attention to Route 9 in Hadley, which has undergone extensive work in recent years. “We’re a little bit due, I’d say.”

The path is envisioned to be 10 feet wide and would run along the northern side of Route 116 from the intersection of Routes 5, 10 and 116 to downtown Sunderland. From there, the path will run along the easterly side of Route 116 to Meadow Street in Amherst. Keeping the path on one contiguous stretch, Czach said, will “minimize any type of crossings of Route 116.”

To accommodate the path, improvements will need to be made to Route 116, such as minor narrowing of roadways in specific areas. Work also will be needed on the Sunderland Bridge to ensure there is enough room for the path.

Residents in attendance, such as Conservation Commission member Mark Zinan, said many cyclists typically turn onto Plumtree Road when riding on Route 116 and they are not sure the potential path will draw enough cyclists away from the quieter roads.

“They do this because it’s prettier, they feel safer … If we’re going to spend $50 million, bike riders want to feel safer in general,” Zinan said, adding he doesn’t want the project to end up like the sidewalks near Yankee Candle in Deerfield, which he said are rarely used. “I don’t want this to be a similar situation.”

Czach said he understands the concerns, but the goal of the path is to create something that does draw people to it. Select Board Chair Nathaniel Waring said the Plumtree Road route is “currently a path that people choose as a safer alternative to Route 116” and this is an opportunity to open up an option that everyone can use.

“The intent is to create a save travel lane for people who may not bike it now, but want to bike the corridor,” Czach said. “It’s to create an avenue that’s safe, that attracts people of all ages and abilities.”

As the Norwottuck North Shared-use Path’s feasibility study heads toward its June deadline, residents are encouraged to share feedback with the town.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.