Rail Trail e-Newsletter October 2025 #2.5 | | |
Hi ,
Here we are. Past Halloween and on the approach to Thanksgiving. This is now the 101st issue of this E-newsletter and this one is a bit different in that it has a couple of videos. Two are related to an effort to repurpose three, out of service highway and RR bridges in VT, NH and Mass within a 13 mile stretch of the CT. River to be remade into bike-ped bridges only. Another video is of my podcast, which this one features Bruce Donald of CT, the East Coast Greenway's southern New England Mgr. And also you'll see the PBS video of From Rail to Trail, the documentary seen across the country in the past few weeks.
And a host of other stories including tidbits about Southampton, Lynnfield, and Williamsburg's projects inching forward.
Best,
Craig Della Penna, Principal
Northeast Greenway Solutions
62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062
413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com
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In the GREEN area, we have news about the
Mass Central Rail Trail
and perhaps some of the 18 other trails that connect to it.
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MassDOT to Begin Construction On New Mystic River Car-Free Bridge Next Year to Connect to the MCRT.
MassDOT hopes to open its proposed Mystic River bicycle pedestrian bridge between Somerville and Everett before the end of 2029. By Christian MilNeil STREETSBLOG MASS October 22, 2025
On Tuesday evening, MassDOT hosted a virtual hearing for an update on its new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Mystic River between Draw Seven Park in Somerville and the Northern Strand Trail in Everett. Read more
| |  | 2025 Mass Trails Grants Awards. Read the list. | 11-1-25 Williamsburg, MA votes to OK easements clearing way for rail trail project. | Unlike in June when the issue led to shouting matches, Saturday's special Town Meeting was peaceful; with a final vote of 265-211. Read more. | | |
First time we've ever seen this on the Wayside section of the MCRT Two walking or biking tours on different sections.
| | Walking Tour of the MCRT in Waltham led by the B&M RR Historical Society | |
About 25 people joined a guided history walk along the Mass Central Rail Trail in Waltham on Oct. 5, hosted by the Waltham Land Trust and the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation.
Participants enjoyed perfect weather as they explored the historic rail corridor.
Rick Kfoury, president of the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society, led the tour, sharing stories about the railway that once ran where the trail now lies. Members of the Waltham Historical Society also contributed insights about local landmarks. Read more
How exciting! Love to see this. CDP
| | | Bikers from Boston were treated to a special train to West Concord and then a guided tour of the MCRT and the BFRT by MassDOT's Bike-Ped Coordinator. | |
At least 50 cyclists were transported by the MBTA to West Concord on the Commuter Rail. Groups led by Pete Sutton, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Coordinator at MassDOT. (seen above in the orange jacket.)
Sutton and others rode to Lowell and down to the Mass Central Rail Trail on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
They came back to West Concord and spent money at local merchants.
Beautiful weather, great day. (By Phil Posner, participant.)
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AND IN THE WHITE AREA,
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION
| | Did you know that there are 5 former RR or highway bridges within a 13 mile stretch of the CT River that are likely to become interconnected as bike-ped only bridges. Wow! | |
This years' "NH SEVEN TO SAVE" includes the 2 former Rt 119 bridges between Brattleboro VT and Hinsdale, NH | | |
Doing a Tri-State Trail project won't be easy. It is very unusual and difficult to do any kind of cross-border collaboration. To the right is a quick layout of the bridges and the project's scope. Click on it and it will enlarge to be readable.
There are a few groups in both VT and NH coming together to work on the unusual issues that complicate this project.
Click on the video below, which is a recent two-hour meeting, held in Brattleboro, that began to lay out the issues and how to pull it all together.
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Welcome to the Roads Less Travelled Podcast!
Love rail trails, bike tourism, or greenway real estate? Have you ever dreamt of operating a bed & breakfast along a scenic trail? Or seen how trails can revive small towns?
Join host Craig Della Penna a Realtor, trail advocate, and storyteller, for quick, insightful conversations where real estate meets sustainability and adventure.
Have a story to share? Book your spot and be part of the Roads Less Travelled. LINK here to the booking, on-boarding site
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Bruce Donald is the Southern New England Manager for the East Coast Greenway Alliance, based in Farmington, Connecticut, overseeing greenway development, advocacy, and volunteer coordination across Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts.
He served as president of the Farmington Valley Trails Council for 12 years and was appointed chair of the Connecticut Greenways Council in 2014. In recognition of his trail advocacy, the Connecticut General Assembly issued an official citation honoring his contributions in 2016.
Bruce also brings deep financial and consulting expertise from nearly two
| | decades in investment, management, and banking across Boston, New York, Hartford, and Beijing. An avid cyclist and published historian, he authored a Civil War–era book based on his great-great-grandfather’s letters.Click here to go to the podcast with Bruce Donald. | | |
AND IN THE WHITE AREA,
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION
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MA DCR Awards Lynnfield $100,000 MassTrails Grant
Funds will be used to support Phase 1 of the town's Rail Trail project
Office of MA House Minority Leader Brad Jones, 10-26-25
The planned 2.8-mile Rail Trail will transform an abandoned former MBTA railbed into a multi-use recreational pathway, while providing many important environmental benefits to the Lynnfield community and complying with ADA standards. Read more.
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A Cape Cod woman impaled by e-bike rider wants stricter rules.
After a crash on Cape Cod, a Brewster woman says Mass needs tougher e-bike regulations. Should the state step in — or let riders decide?
By Annie Jonas October 29, 2025
A Brewster woman who was impaled in the eye by an e-bike is calling for stricter regulations.
On Sept. 10, Lynne Forester, 69, was walking on the Cape Cod Rail Trail around 10:30 a.m. near mile marker 5.6, like she has “been doing for 10 years,” when a bicyclist suddenly collided with her from behind, she told Boston.com in an interview. Read more.
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New kind of traffic signal is confusing Massachusetts drivers as 25% run red light, study finds By Neal Riley, Courtney Cole 10-9-25 / CBS Boston
A new type of traffic light that's becoming increasingly popular in Massachusetts is confusing drivers, with nearly a quarter of cars running through a solid red light, a study found. Read more.
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Southampton Greenway project gaining steam with new state grant by Sam Ferland 10-20-25
SOUTHAMPTON — The town has received another significant state grant to bring it one step closer to completing design work necessary to connect the Southampton Greenway to the local Manhan Rail Trail- a part of the regional New Haven & Northampton Canal Greenway. (NHNCG) Read more.
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AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;
Interesting, "HIGH ALTITUDE" Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.
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The Audacious Idea to Connect America With Trails Is More Necessary Now Than Ever
Seattle's bike blogger takes a ride on some of Washington's best rail trails — and makes the case for extending the "Great American Rail Trail" across the country. By Tom Fucoloro StreetsBlog USA 10-2025
I’m going tell you about an audacious idea that sounds almost impossible, one that is rooted in dreams about symbolic and literal unity of our nation. Read more.
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PBS documentary ‘From Rails to Trails’ tracks the movement’s history 10-14-25 By Ken Lambert Staff Photographer and lead drone pilot
The Burke-Gilman Trail is about 20 miles, but the road to becoming a Seattle transportation icon is vastly longer. “From Rails to Trails,” a new PBS documentary narrated by Edward Norton, charts what happened nationally before and after Seattle’s initial 12.1-mile section of trail was dedicated in August 1978. Watch the documentary
| | THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY | | |
Do you or a friend have a surplus house somewhere in Mass? I know that sounds implausible, but I do get a couple of listings a year in situations like this.
I will make these oddities more impactful. Bring me in as your listing agent and I will market the property. When it sells, I will turn over my share of the sale commission to the Mass Central Rail Trail project.
Contact me at: CraigDP413@gmail.com or 413-575-2277.
Craig Della Penna, CRS, GRI, Green, REALTOR, Associate Broker Trailside Team The Murphys Realtors. 7 Main Street Florence, MA 01062
NorthamptonRealtor.com/innovator
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If you are getting this e-newsletter, you or a friend are likely to be a member of a Friends group affiliated with a rail trail somewhere in the northeast.
Kathy and I would love to offer up a creative fundraiser. We'll make a two-night stay available for two couples at our award-wining bed & breakfast--Sugar Maple Trailside Inn. This will include a guided tour by me, or either a walking tour or a biking tour of the rail trail network here.
We touch-on not only all the RR and industrial history, of course, but also the political history of how each section got built. I'll curl your hair.
This tour will include lunch at a restaurant near the rail trail.
This donation should be a part of an overall fundraiser event for your local trail project. Link here to more info. Click on the image above for a more readable version.
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