Rail Trail Newsletter #62 - December 2021

• The City of Waltham is soliciting bids to build their segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail

• Looks like Southampton, Mass has entered the 3rd Stage of Truth.

• HERE'S THE WARRANT ON THE SOUTHAMPTON TOWN MEETING BALLOT TO BUY THE CORRIDOR

• NATIONAL GRID SUES SWAMPSCOTT OVER RAIL-TRAIL EASEMENT

• How to Reassemble a former Trolley Corridor from South West Vermont into the Berkshires

• Williamstown bike path bridge-work to be completed this winter; overall project wrap-up expected next fall

• Sudbury, Framingham key to Bruce Freeman Rail Trail's future

• Ashokan Reservoir to the left is owned by NYC's Water Dept.

• Abandoned rail line to be converted into 32-mile rec trail through central Maine

• Salisbury gives thanks for 5.1-mile rail trail

• A Fully-Charged City Built Around Bicycles.

• A plan to pave a section of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail--SNETT and keep a gravel, side-path for equestrians

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Rail Trail Newsletter #61 - November 2021

• Travel Guide: Wayland’s Aqueducts and the Cochituate Rail Trail 

• Concord, NH receives $275,000 grant to extend Merrimack River Greenway Trail 

• Medfield Rail Trail Begins Construction

• Cheshire, CT Town Council votes to be included in new regional alliance

• Explosion of use? Has any park gotten it right? Can we?

• MassDOT Makes Plans to Extend Northern Strand Through Downtown Lynn 

• The Path on the Mario Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River 

• Vermont receives federal money to build pedestrian and bike bridge over busy I-89 intersection

• Bridge across the Winooski River adds another vital link to Vermont's rail-trail network

• Topsfield Scout installs scale model of solar system along the Linear Common l in Topsfield, MA

• Norton voters back money for rail-trail project with Mansfield

• Stoneham's Tri-Community Greenway Gets New Picnic Areas Built by Local Realtors

• 100+ page report from 1973 that laid out the idea of repurposing some abandoned RRs in Maine into recreational areas.

 

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Rail Trail Newsletter #60 - October 2021

• MCRT's Belmont Community Path section 25% Design hearing on Zoom-Nov 4, 2021

• Steven Hawk in Ware and how much he loves his accessible STONEDUST trail there.

• Baker Admin Commits Funding for Proposed Mystic Greenway Bridge

• Plogging for the planet: Swedish pastime combines jogging with collecting litter, waste

• BFRT in Sudbury nearing final design and construction is FINALLY on the horizon

• Fundraiser letter from Protect Sudbury PS is fighting the plan to put a more robust and resilient electric grid in their locale

• East Bay Bike Path faced plenty of opposition in the 1980s.

• Memo to cranky Providence residents: Real cities have bike lane, bike riders aren’t destroying the fabric of the city

• FINALLY underway in Mass. A nearly 25 year long project to restore a pedestrian Truss bridge outside of Boston, nears completion

• Just GETTING UNDERWAY in NY. A similar project. But this one involves TWELVE (12) ped bridges. 

• Bicyclist dies after being struck by car near Northampton High School

• Connecticut towns along rail trail look to make road crossings safer.

 

 

Rail Trail Newsletter #59 - September 2021

• Great Story in the Commonwealth Mag by Galen Mook and Josh Ostroff.

• Donated Rail Trail benches honor Unified Sports, beloved Hudson community members

• What do Rail-Trails Do? Nothing but Good, Swamp Rabbit's Neighbor's Say

• Volunteer of the Week: David Mark, of Maynard, spruces up the Rail Trail

• Ribbon-cutting on the developing New Haven & Northampton Canal Greenway in New Haven, CT

• Bay Circuit Trail: Thru-Hiking Boston’s Emerald Necklace

• Bridges for Animals to Safely Cross Freeways Are Popping Up Around the World

• We Are Going to Need a Lot More Electric Delivery Bikes

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Rail Trail Newsletter #58 - August 2021

• Daily Hampshire Gazette Guest columnist Mary Carey: Forest bathing on the Rail Trail

• The new Columbia Greenway Rail Trail bridge at Main Street.

• Sugar Maple Trailside Inn that sits 8' from the rail trail, was was featured on a site about local businesses. 

• Construction started on the Farmington Canal Trail in New Haven 

• Auburn, Maine considers getting on board with a plan to connect a rail trail to Portland

• How a 21-mile rail trail holds the key to happiness, health, and prosperity for Manchester, NH residents 

• COVID sparked a bike boom across America

• Metro West, an area just west of Boston, has lots of exciting projects nearing completion

• Explore the Coastal Trails Network on the North Shore

• Community Compass: Exciting steps forward on Merrymeeting Trail in Maine. 

• NH State Rail Trail Plan update underway

• Representative Trahan talks Track Road support in Stow

• Developer Plans to Transform Abandoned Kansas City Rail Bridge Into a 'Destination'

• Decades-long private encroachment along Burke-Gilman Trail finally cleared to make small lakeside park

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Rail Trail Newsletter #57 - July 2021

• Belmont Community Path Section of the Mass Central Rail Trail Moves Forward

• EQLT was awarded funding from DCR's MassTrails Grant Program to expand the Mass Central Rail Trail in Ware and Hardwick

• Mural on the Mass Central Rail Trail will expand "tunnel vision"

• ANOTHER $300K Grant for the Belchertown Greenway section of the MCRT

• Could scenic Taunton River Trail soon become a reality? $4.8M tantalizes 30-year advocate

• Long-awaited construction begins on Lowell Connector Trail Project

• Acton installs automated sensors at intersections along rail trail

• The East Coast Greenway is hosting a fund-raiser ride from NYC to Philadelphia 

• Concord, NH is about to join the ranks of proud cities that have paved rail trails.

• MassDOT is conducting a survey to learn more about why and when Massachusetts residents ride a bike.

• Governor Baker In Sandwich, Mass Announces $4M Trail Grants

• NH Rail Trail system offers 380 miles to keep you moving

• NATIONAL GRID BUILDS 1st MILE OF THE WAKEFIELD TRAIL

• The Lynnfield Rail Trail project is alive and well.

• A best-kept secret: How 230 miles of hiking trails connect the suburbs of Boston

• OPINION: Still time to rethink the Swampscott rail trail

• A best-kept secret: How 230 miles of hiking trails connect the suburbs of Boston

• MBTA and Town of Medfield Sign Medfield Rail Trail Lease

• State Agencies Seek to Transform the Lynnway With New Bike Path and Bus Rapid Transit STREETSBLOG MASS

• After 34 years, the popular Katy Trail across Missouri is finally complete. 

• Several hundred residential units proposed along East Boston Greenway

 

 

Rail Trail Newsletter #56 - June 2021

• The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has released a decision in the case of Sudbury vs the Energy Facility Siting Board.

• Our Amicus Brief which helped the SJC to see the greater context.

• Sudbury Dealt Blow In Transmission Line Case After SJC Ruling

• Another loss of an important advocate in the rail trail world. Paul Penfield of Weston, Mass 

• Clinton Tunnel to close until renovation design and construction begins.

• ‘I can do everything using the bike path’: Trail links cities north of Boston to the sea

• Public comment heavily favors latest Neponset Greenway link

• CPA $$ Restore the Upper Charles Rail Trail & Historic 8-Arch Bridge

• Walkway Over the Hudson turns 10: How the project spurred change, and improved the region

• ‘Greenway Stimulus’ Could Bring Boom in Bike and Walking Trails The Hudson River Greenway,

• New England has one of the 6 most rewarding rail trails in America, according to The Wall Street Journal

• Newburyport celebrates newest rail trail stretch

• The Path Well Traveled: Coast through the history of South Kingstown, RI's bike path

• Rail trail inches its way toward downtown Pittsfield, MA with plans to extend to Merrill Road

• Another Great Bridge Story. NEW LIFE for an old bridge - The Bison Bridge 

• Bridges, rail corridors find new life as urban trails

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Rail Trail Newsletter #55 - May 2021

• Did you know that for over 20 years, there has been an occasional Golden Spike Conference?

• Another new Bike-ped bridge by MassDOT nears completion SALISBURY

• Town meeting in Northfield approves MassDOT's requirements to build a new bike-ped bridge over the CT River.

• NORTHFIELD

• MassDOT installs yet ANOTHER NEW Bike Ped BRIDGE over the marsh in Saugus, Mass on the Northern Strand Trail

• Mayoral candidate Yang puts NYC's stalled ‘Queens-Way’ rail-to-trails project at center of public park platform

• Did you know of an effort to rebrand the N-S trail from New Haven to Northampton with a unified name?

• Beautiful Art on the Trail in Florence, MA

• The American Society of Landscape Architects recently published an interesting interview with Jennifer Toole,

• Engineers Should Not Design Streets

• Did you know that for over 20 years, there has been an occasional Golden Spike Conference?

• Another new Bike-ped bridge by MassDOT nears completion SALISBURY

• Town meeting in Northfield approves MassDOT's requirements to build a new bike-ped bridge over the CT River. NORTHFIELD

• MassDOT installs yet ANOTHER NEW Bike Ped BRIDGE over the marsh in Saugus, Mass on the Northern Strand Trail

• Mayoral candidate Yang puts NYC's stalled ‘Queens-Way’ rail-to-trails project at center of public park platform

• Did you know of an effort to rebrand the N-S trail from New Haven to Northampton with a unified name?

• Beautiful Art on the Trail in Florence, MA

• The American Society of Landscape Architects recently published an interesting interview with Jennifer Toole,

• Engineers Should Not Design Streets 

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Rail Trail; Newsletter #54 - April 2021

• Weston students aim to brighten rail trail with mural art

• ORAL ARGUMENTS IN THE CASE BEFORE THE SJC, SUDBURY VS ENERGY FACILITY SITING BOARD ON MARCH 1, 2021

• A boost for rail trail expansion in Southampton

• Columbia Greenway Rail Trail bridge installed across Main Street in Westfield 

• South Coast Feasibility Study - Fall River to New Bedford by Bike

• More Pathway Buildout Coming to NYC

• Keene to buy a bridge for rail trail expansion

• Dream of Connected NYC Greenway Re-Envisioned as Path to COVID Recovery

• Visit the Peabody Bikeway

• New map of Troy, NY trails offers guide to adventures

• Riding The Rails: Canalside Rail Trail

• Millerton, N.Y.: Unspoiled Beauty With a New Youthful Energy

• Framingham could become MetroWest trail hub by linking many of its walking, biking paths

• Hudson River Valley Greenway announces $636,000 available for planning, trail grants

• Area canalway trail usage increased in 2020

• Shared use paths—also called trails, multi-use paths, greenways, or bike paths—bring many benefits to their communities.

• The Border to Boston Trail is a 70-mile shared use trail that links 20 communities

• Streets that put people first, not cars. Cities around the world are reconfiguring their urban grids to support local communities and economies.

• 60 Charming American Towns You Haven't Heard of But Should Visit ASAP. Hit the roads less traveled.

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Rail Trail Newsletter #53 - February 2021​

• This Mass. camping spot--near the MCRT-- is ranked among the best outdoor stays in the U.S. in 2021

• There is the big court case delaying the MCRT buildout in Sudbury.

• Heritage Trail: How a group of neighbors in Manchester NH helped reclaim prime recreational real estate for all to enjoy

• Springfield seeks state funds to advance plans to convert abandoned railroad into a walking and bicycle trail.

• RTC did a nice high altitude story about the growing network here in New England.

• A tunnel connecting two rail trails in downtown Lebanon, NH

• Gov Cuomo is building another Ped Bridge in New York. New Bridge to Cross Iconic Erie Canal

• Historic bridges in NYC to have cycle paths

• A follow up to the story about a series of historic bridges in the Hudson River Valley.

• After virus delays, Southington, CT continues design work on final trail section

• Bay Colony Rail Trail comes together in bits and pieces.

• Progress made on Twin Cities Rail Trail project. (Yes. It involves yet another huge bike-ped bridge.)

• Here's another great, iconic ex RR bridge to explore. Rosendale Trestle.

• Peabody Mass Rotary Club celebrating their 100th anniversary by doing some betterments on their city's trail network.

• One of the most memorable trails I toured while doing my first book was the Airline Trail in CT

• Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway--Site of the first Bike Path in the U.S.

• From steel city to bike city: Wollongong pins hopes on becoming world-class cycling destination

 

 

Rail Trail Newsletter #52 - January 2021

• A trail transformation in Maine - Once opposed to the construction of a multi-use trail adjacent to his home, Ellsworth, Maine

• Three New Trails in Mass To Look Forward To in 2021 -Construction activities have slowed down considerably for the winter

• Transformational Bike Path to Montclair, NJ Advances

• A New York State of Trail - After years of effort, 750-mile Empire State Trail is complete

• 58 Projects Completed by State and Local Partners to Build Nation's Longest Multi-Use State Trail

• Boston Channel 5 Chronicle show host Ted Reinstein's favorites: Rail trails a great escape in 2020

• 7 Raised Crossings Greenlighted in New Haven and Hampden, CT

• Years ago, opponents used German shepherds, cars and fear-mongering in attempt to block construction of popular East Bay Rail Trail

• Tunnel at Rotterdam Jct! Finally. SCHENECTADY NY

• New Life for Old Bridges - Scenic Hudson is working to save

• Historical signs add to appeal of the Springfield Mass Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway

• ATTENTION MAP GEEKS OUT THERE! Here's two resources for antique maps.

• As local groups in SW NH improve rail trails, public input is sought

• Active Transportation is an Easy Win. An op-ed in CT News Junkie by John Hall

• The US wasn't equipped for 2020's cycling boom. Its failures stem from a century of leaving bikes behind.

• How Madison keeps its bike paths clear through the winter

• Can Detroit’s Joe Louis Greenway avoid gentrification?

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