WPI study calls for re-creation of Worcester's Blackstone Canal

PHOTO/SAM BONACCI John Giangregorio stands before a mural of the Worcester end of the Blackstone Canal as it appeared in the 19th century in this 2014 photo.

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By Sam Bonacci

A study by WPI students has called for a re-creation of a portion of Worcester’s Blackstone Canal, citing increased development opportunities as well as improved quality of life for area residents.

The study examined options for transforming a portion of Harding Street into the canal that helped the area grow economically in the 1800’s. Proponents have argued that a canal could serve as an attraction for both tourism and redevelopment in the city.

While the canal still remains below the surface of the street, interviews with city officials and review of previous studies caused the students to determine that a re-creation of the canal would be the more feasible option. Using figures from a 2003 feasibility assessment that were adjusted for inflation, the study estimated a replication of the canal to cost approximately $19.2 million, compared to hundreds of millions to unearth and restore the original canal, according to Worcester’s DPW commissioner Paul Moosey.

Not only would this be a more fiscally sound approach, concluded the study, but it would allow for an optimization of the canal as a public space.

“A restoration and a replication of the Canal in Worcester would benefit the overall look and feel of the surrounding area, however a replication allows for the flexibility to get creative in the design of the water feature,” the study stated.

The study looked at similar projects in the U.S. that re-opened or re-created historic canals to examine the potential return on investment of re-creating Worcester’s canal that was closed in 1848. In examining canal projects including nearby work in Providence, RI, and Lowell, the study found that the projects yielded returns on the infrastructure costs with further private investment, increased property value, as well as more tax revenue.

This financial return on investment was also met with reports of increased quality of life through programming and events at the restored canals. The study found that after the projects were completed, there was improvement in the areas immediately surrounding the canals.

“The study supports the conclusion that this is a source of economic development potential to Worcester,” said John Giangregorio, the president of the Blackstone Canal District Alliance that sponsored the study. “We need the city to be more progressive and open minded to economic development models that work.”

The long-term benefits of the canal that were revealed in this study must be taken into account by city officials as they consider pursuing a canal project, he said. If the city is able to secure state and federal funding, Giangregorio said, the canal project could see an accelerated local return on investment.

In August, $3 million was set aside in an environmental bond bill to fund a study evaluating how much it would cost to either open up the canal or re-create a version of it on the road's surface. The completed study would allow the project to be put out to bid.