Transportation projects from Hinsdale, Marlborough and Swanzey awarded funding for implementation in 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2026
CONTACT
Henry Underwood, SWRPC; 603-357-0557 ext. 18
(KEENE) – Monadnock Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) recently announced Complete Streets Implementation Grant Program awardees from the 2025 grant round. Since 2017, the program has supported construction and engineering projects as well as provided towns technical assistance in developing their own Complete Streets policies. Complete streets describe streets that are safe and accessible for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of how they choose to travel. It also describes a context-sensitive approach to transportation planning, design, construction and maintenance that balances the needs of people walking, bicycling, driving a car, riding public transit, and using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
“The 2025 grant round was unusually competitive with $496,000 in requests from 8 projects in 7 municipalities (compared with $130,000 available),” said Henry Underwood, Senior Planner at Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC). SWRPC administers the grant on behalf of MAST and its fiscal sponsor Cheshire Medical Center. The 2025 awards were made to the Town of Swanzey for $55,500 to extend a multi-use path on NH 32 (Old Homestead Highway) near the Town Offices; to the Town of Marlborough for $44,000 to install pedestrian-activated beacons on NH 101 near Marlborough Country Convenience; and to the Town of Hinsdale for $15,000 to obtain engineering services to explore an on-road multi-use connection along NH 119 from the Fort Hill Rail Trail to the bridges over the Connecticut River into Brattleboro. “Each project demonstrates local commitments to safety, accessibility and connectivity of transportation infrastructure,” Mr. Underwood said.
The 2025 awards represent a 9-year-old annual program committed to making streets in the Monadnock Region safer. “Since 2017, MAST has funded a total of 23 projects in 13 communities to improve road safety, accessibility and connectivity – almost $800,000 in total. These projects – especially those construction projects retrofitting less safe designs – have built momentum and capacity that wouldn’t otherwise be possible” said Mr. Underwood.
Two additional rounds of funding are expected for 2026 and 2027 before the program concludes. Similar to past years, MAST expects to announce the next grant round in the spring of 2026 and target funding awards towards complete streets infrastructure-related construction activities as well as “non-infrastructure” purposes such as planning, preliminary engineering, community education and encouragement activities. Most activities under the program are limited to Monadnock Region communities that have adopted a complete streets policy. Municipalities that have not yet adopted a complete streets policy are eligible to apply for technical assistance to develop and adopt such a policy, thus becoming eligible for infrastructure funds should future grant rounds be offered.
To learn more about complete streets and review the most recent application materials, visit mastnh.org/2025-complete-streets-grant or e-mail completestreets@mastnh.org.
About Monadnock Alliance for Sustainable Transportation
The Monadnock Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) is a coalition of organizational and individual members working to implement sustainable transportation solutions in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. MAST recognizes the broad impacts that the region’s transportation system has on individuals and communities – everything from jobs to cost of living to health and beyond: www.mastnh.org and www.facebook.com/MASTNH. Since its inception, Southwest Region Planning Commission has provided staff support to the group through support from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Cheshire Medical Center.