Rail Trail Newsletter #73 - December 2022

• AND THE SUDBURY DRAMA CONTINUES. NOW BEFORE THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD IN DC

• Letters to the STB and our Congressional Leaders from local leaders

• Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust is pleased to share that initial work has begun on the MCR

• The Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs stood up the Office of Outdoor Recreation. 

• Rails, trails or both? Maine state officials urged to do something with unused Augusta-to-Brunswick rail corridor

• Derry Trail supporters continue to push for tunnel to Londonderry, part of the planned I-93 Exit 4A project in town.

• Bourne Bike Path Group Confronts Resident Opposition

• TWO STORIES ABOUT A DEAD Railroad IN QUEENS, NY

• Mass State House delegation visits, surveys Nashua River Rail Trail conditions

• Bedford Voters Reject Minuteman Extension at Town Meeting

• New Bennington VT pedestrian, bike path opens

• Report for the Town of Bennington, VT about their industrial heritage and the tie-in from the long gone Rutland Railroad

• CSX sells 1.5 miles of dead RR for $11.2 million

• Athol developing strategy for Rabbit Run Rail Trail

• Bike to the Sea Celebrates 30 Years, Official Trail Opening at Annual Meeting

• Toward More Walkable, Resilient, and Inclusive Gateway Cities

• Peter Harnik's new book about the history of Rails to Trails in the US

 

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Rail Trail Newsletter #72 - November 2022

• Mass DCR is updating their Public Access Plan for the Wachusett Reservoir--and the iconic dam near where the MCRT passes over the Nashua River in Clinton.

• Norwottuck Network seeks input on rail trail expansion.

• Friends of the Belchertown Greenway get grant to look at the bent timber trestle bridge

• $45M mixed-use building for 55 and older planned for King Street in Northampton

• Eversource begins construction of their underground utility corridor under the future Mass Central Rail Trail.

• The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission held a community meeting in New Braintree to discuss what the town would like to see at the site of the Tanner Hiller Airport.

• Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Completion of Multi-Community Northern Strand Trail

• People Have No Idea Just How Unique This Village (Shelburne Falls) In Massachusetts Truly Is.

• New greenway path in Lowell to the Concord River

• Framingham & CSX Negotiate $5 Million Price For Bruce Freeman Trail

• New engineering firm hired for Lynnfield’s portion of the rail trail project

• Lawrence kicks off Manchester Street rail trail cleanup

• Inside the Bicycle’s Conquest of Amsterdam

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Rail Trail Newsletter #71 - October 2022

• HELP BUILD THE MCRT - TAKE BOTH OF THESE IMPORTANT SURVEYS.

• See the video of Steven Hawk getting his Golden Spike GS2022 Award

• Planning Underway for Mass. Central Rail Trail Link Over I-95 in Waltham, Weston Street

• East Quabbin Land Trust and the Town of Hardwick started the construction of another section of the MCRT.

• Plans to connect Hatfield to region’s network of trails (MCRT) win support from many, skepticism from others

• The National Assoc. of City Transportation Officials recently held their annual conference in Boston and had a walking tour of a section of the MCRT in Somerville that is under construction 

• MASSTRAILS CONFERENCE SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12th in FITCHBURG, MA

• OSI Begins Construction on New Round of Improvements to Wallkill Valley Rail Trail

• OP-ED | Rail With Trail In Connecticut, Long Overdue

• Autumn on two wheels: 11 scenic bike rides across the Hudson Valley

• News from the longest interstate trail in New England

• The Ying and the Yang of Bedford along the Minuteman Bikeway

• The nation’s expanding network of rail trails started in Chicago with one woman’s ambitious vision.

• The Alien Plant that Can't be Stopped. 

 

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Rail Trail Newsletter #70 - September 2022

• GOLDEN SPIKE 2022 REELIFE PRODUCTIONS VIDEOS

• For those who can't get enough of the Sudbury "to-do". 

• And here's an interview with Len Simon, a former Selectman in Sudbury

• On Sept 8th, the East Quabbin Land Trust held a ribbon-cutting, opening a new 2-3 mile section of the Mass Central Rail Trail. 

• Golden Spike Plaque awarded to the National Grid team

• Making the Connection:  The Massachusetts Movement to Connect 26 Communities with 104 Miles of Greenway

• Proposal for 31-mile western Maine rail trail could go before Legislature as early as next year

• Mohawk Trail multiuse path in Williamstown ready for use, will formally open this fall

• Creating the Coastal Trail Network on the northshore of Massachusetts.

• Ribbon-cutting on a new rail trail in Medfield, MA on a four town project

• Next steps for the Boston Worcester Air Line Trail project

• Belchertown Trail Adds Sensory Aspect to Hiking

• Parker River Refuge Becomes a Hub for Accessible Trails

• Andrew Brown's other piece in this realm of trails.

• Documenting the Quest for Safer Streets

• NATCO COMES TO BOSTON - Boston region will host hundreds of transportation engineers, planners, and transit officials

• Washington Supreme Court Rules in favor of Severely Injured

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Rail Trail Newsletter #69 - August 2022

• GOLDEN SPIKE 2022 On July 30th we held our 8th GS event.

• Alas, the 18+year saga of the "to-do" in Sudbury continues, but we getting near the end.

• Deed for the MBTA purchase of corridor in 30 communities in the 1970s--including Sudbury.

• Exciting News! Phase 2D in Sudbury is Advertised for Construction.

• Eversource Gets The Green Light for the BFRT from Historic Districts Commission

• Ribbon cutting ceremony brings first phase of Twin Cities Rail Trail to the finish line

• The Jonah Center’s most far-reaching project — to connect the 2 longest multi-use trails in Connecticut 

• MAINE'S EASTERN TRAIL SELECTED AS ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST RAIL-TRAILS

• 16 Scenic Stops Along The Beautiful Cape Cod Rail Trail

• In a virtual public hearing last week, MassDOT shared preliminary designs for a proposed rail trail project in Lawrence

• People walking or biking the D&H Rail Trail in western Vermont were met with some overgrown sections

• Officials laud emerging shared-use trail network in Bennington VT

• Counters Give Valuable Information On Bike Path Use

• Second tree sculpture takes root along city's rail trail

• Southampton secures $300K to design 3.5-mile rail trail extension

• The Fascinating Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Streetcar Suburbs

• Late-night tandem bike ride leads to police stop — and calls to open East Bay Bike Path 24/7

 

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Rail Trail Newsletter #68 - July 2022

• Waltham is beginning construction their section of the MCRT.

• Belchertown, MassDOT preserves an imporant section of MCRT right-of-way from being damaged and cut-off.

• Friends of Northampton Trails continues support of environmental assets

• MassTrails Grant Program Announces Funding for 81 Trail Projects Across the Common-wealth

• Conine Family Foundation founders Alexi and Steve Conine are seen above with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at the Trails Team event.

• $32K Feasibility study for rail trail project in Athol is now funded through the MassTrails program

• Bourne Rail Trail project gets $499,000 grant to expand Cape Cod bike paths

• Each year, these MassTrails grants are leading to more and more trails.

• New Twin Cities Rail Trail Offers Adventure In Leominster, Fitchburg

• Native flowers, shrubs, and trees now decorate the unique pathway of the Assabet River Rail Trail

• Bikeway Ambassadors to lead guided rides this summer

• New Paths in Peabody Will Fill Missing Links on Border-to-Boston Trail 

• Missing middle where the trains used to run

• Abandoned Railways and Urbanism

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Rail Trail Newsletter #67 - June 2022

• BACK AGAIN TO THE 18+ YEAR SAGA IN SUDBURY

• Ware's, the East Quabbin Land Trust is replicating a wetland through an agreement with National Grid to build out the trail in Ware and Gilbertville

• Eversource has formally announced that they are now past all the lawsuits and are working with the Conservation Commissions in both Sudbury and Hudson

• 4 fabulous rail trails in New England by the Boston Globe

• Greenways, including two in Groton, CT, highlighted at state event 

• Portland to Auburn rail trail possibilities under consideration

• Proposed bicycle trail system could connect Maine's 25 biggest communities by 2030

• Long Island's North Shore Rail Trail opens, repurposing abandoned railroad line into recreational trail

• U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.6 Million for Trail Expansion to Boost Tourism in Southbridge, Mass

• Danville plans to repurpose historic train station as rail trail hub 

• Parker Street tunnel mural brings colorful life to Piscataquog Rail Trail MANCHESTER, NH 

• The Cambridge bike lane battle is heading to court

• What will the completed Lamoille Valley Rail Trail do for Franklin County, VT?

• New Elevated Park Offers a Blueprint to Cooling Cities snaking over rooftops in downtown Rotterdam

• What's your preferred bike trail surface: Gravel or pavement?

• ‘It’s so freeing’: Boston women learn to bike as more protected lanes are built

• Is North America poised for an e-cargo bike boom?

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Rail Trail Newsletter #66 - May 2022

• Legal Opinion to the Hudson Select Board about the continuing saga of the Eversource case.

• Belmont Community Path Costs Explained

• Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust is hosting two events

• Vast holdings of dead RRs in Mass, more readily available to groups and communities--without any liability threats.

• Attention CT and VT folks. NH is now getting their improved legislation done before you!

• State, Local Officials Cut Ribbon for Pittsfield Rail Trail Extension

• Massachusetts is the best state for bicyclists, getting ranked top ‘bicycle friendly’ state in 2022

• Sudbury, Mass N-S trail getting underway finally, while the E-W trail still conjuring up some hand-wringing and angst.

• Twin Cities Rail Trail poised to join area’s pathway gems

• First phase of Twin Cities Rail Trail slated to open in June

• Manchester voters approved the town’s purchase of the privately held Historic Manchester Rail Trail

• Fund-raiser to have an engineer look at small, bent timber bridge on the MCRT in Belchertown.

• Swampscott Rail Trail will provide residents with an amazing amenity

• Rail trail advocates outraged over switch from tunnel to ‘spaghetti plan’ at Derry’s new highway exit

• state of NY going to rebuild a RR bridge over the Hudson. 

• NYC to fill gaps in Brooklyn, Queens bike and pedestrian greenways with $48M investment

• Lamoille Valley Rail Trail enters final phase of across-the-state construction

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Rail Trail Newsletter #65 - April 2022

• Another 2.3 miles of the MCRT begins construction in Ware and Gilbertville

• DID YOU KNOW THAT THE MCRT INTERSECTS WITH SEVENTEEN OTHER TRAILS?

• LEARN MORE about our GOLDEN SPIKE PLAQUES we present, at our GOLDEN SPIKE EVENTS

• Town of Bedford, MA narrowly rejected necessary land acquisitions for the town’s “Minuteman Bikeway Extension” project

• Urban trails are part of the climate change solution

• Nature in the Neighborhood: Swampscott needs to ask, what would Olmsted do?

• Rail trail is not the solution to Swampscott's green space issue Wicked Local

• The Smallest New Yorkers Join the Pandemic Biking Surge

• Senator Schumer calls for new Federal program to fund investment in outdoor industry

• Cities Must Follow Through on Road Safety Plans. Here’s How.

• Read what Expedia has said about Sustainable Tourism as being the next big thing.

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Rail Trail Newsletter #64 - March 2022

• Waltham Mayor Requesting $9.3M For Wayside section of the MCRT

• Easthampton wins state grant to build safer route from rail trail to school

• An Infographic About the MCRT

• REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR THE 2022 GOLDEN SPIKE CONFERENCE Saturday July 30, 2022

• Half-mile trail purchase will connect 59 mile Northern Rail Trail to Concord, NH proper.

• South Coast--Mattapoisett Bike Path Plans, Costs Detailed

• Contractors hope rail trail to be completed this year 

• The sons of Betty Wold Johnson have donated her 800 acre Hopewell farm to D&R Greenway.

• DEEP Announces $3 Million in Trail Grants For 20 Projects Across the State Funding Will Support Projects That Enhance and Improve CT’s Multiuse Trails

• New Trails We Can Look Forward to in Central and Western Mass. This Year 

• Proposed rail trail to pass through North Attleboro, Plainville, Norfolk and Wrentham, Mass picks up momentum during pandemic

• Blackstone Valley Greenway / Bikeway needs a champion 

• How to Design a Bike Lane - Create obvious and clearly marked pathways.

• The Futility of Picking Up the Trash. Litter collection may not be doing enough to stall a vicious cycle of new trash.

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Rail Trail Newsletter #63 - February 2022

• SUDBURY. The Surface Transportation Board has ruled against the group called "PROTECT SUDBURY".

• National Grid has entered into a long term land agreement with the East Quabbin Land Trust

• 25% Design in Belmont now Community Path Passes Phase 1 Milestone

• Portland to Fryeburg Maine; a trail project starts to move ahead PORTLAND (WGME) 

• Twin City Rail Trail. And btw, with a big, smacking, beautiful, new bridge built over Rt 2 too.

• South Coast Bikeway Gets an Update

• ‘I Wanted That Self-Reliance Back’: Disabled Hikers Forge a New Path

• RTC Highlights the 1,400 mile, Landline project near Boston

• 8 Townhomes Planned For Natick Site Along Rail Trail

• Why NJ’s Essex-Hudson Greenway Will be a Game-Changer for Commuters, City Residents 

• Vermont To Open 93-Mile Cross-State Trail in 2023

• Teen’s report details bike and pedestrian challenges in downtown Westfield 

• Westfield’s preferred connector trail cuts through North Side neighborhoods etc. 

• 5 U.S. Cities Where Bike Commuting is Booming from the League of American Bicyclists 

• State of Missouri has accepted a donation of 140+ miles of former RR corridor to build the Rock Island Trail

 

 

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