Rail Trail e-Newsletter March 2025 #95

Hi Craig,

Here we are on the cusp of spring and I'm looking forward to some warm weather. We've got some stories here I've been waiting a long time. For 25+ years. Like, the Linden Street Bridge in Waltham. It is now beginning to be renovated to host the trail. Amazing.

Another amazing story is in Ware, where the Friends of Mary Lane Hospital is coming to the forefront to be in the local team for moving the MCRT forward there. They'll be working with the friends group, the town and the East Quabbin Land Trust to advance things. Amazing.

We also have some info about rail-with-trail projects in Massachusetts featuring some illustrative imagery from one of our Board members, Ben Bayes.

And I've even posted a blurb about an upcoming lecture I have for the Springfield Museums. (In-person and on Zoom if you'd like to do it virtually.)

That brings out an interesting coincidence. Spfld Museums has been hosting this lecture series for 45 years and the journey for the MCRT is 45 years also. And so, the 45 year metric will be my metric for the day. Telling how this improbable project, (some used to say, impossible project)--45 years in the making is nearing the tipping point.

Enjoy this one.

Craig Della Penna, Board President

Norwottuck Network, Inc.

62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062

413 575 2277 CraigDP413@gmail.com

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.

Two construction projects beginning this spring. One is the Linden St Bridge.

One of the two projects noted above, is a remake of the Linden Street Bridge in Waltham to be open for bikes and pedestrians.

That locale is notable in that the closed Linden Street Bridge was the backdrop for GS II. Golden Spike 2, way back in 2002.

With over 400 people in attendance, that was was largest rail trail event ever held in New England. And now the bridge is finally going to be open. CDP Read more.

Another story the Bridge

Linden Street railroad bridge may be restored by end of 2025

By Christian Maitre Waltham Times March 11, 2025 Read more.

In this month's Eversource e-newsletter. . .

Creating Multi-Use Trails While Enhancing Reliability (from Eversource's March, 2025 e-Newsletter)

A new section of the Mass Central Rail Trail is nearing completion thanks to our close partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on our Sudbury to Hudson Reliability Project. As part of this underground transmission line project designed to strengthen our infrastructure, we preserved historic railroad features, replaced bridges, removed invasive plant species, enhanced vernal pool habitats and installed plants within the inactive railroad corridor. DCR is set to complete construction of this publicly accessible, multi-use path this summer.

From Eversource's March, 2025 e-Newsletter. Click here.

A couple of more stories about the MCRT

The Springfield Museums invited me to speak on May 8th at their Thursday speaker series--Museums à la Carte. Here's an odd coincidence. 45 Years for the anniversary of their lecture series and 45 years for the state's efforts, so far, to reassemble the longest dead RR in New England. It'd be great if a good turnout of the readers of this e-Newsletter turn out for this event. It'll be live, in-person and on Zoom. Read More

A couple of months ago, the Selectboard in the Town of Weston weighed-in, in support of "Finishing the Rail Trail". Now we are seeing the development of an official Ped & Bike Plan. Wow. Sacré bleu. Read More

And in Ware, they're starting to make lemonade from a lemon.

The town's only hospital, Mary Lane Hospital--owned by BayState Health, the state's 3rd largest health system closed it down.

The Friends of Mary Lane Hospital, a 600 member friends group, has become leaders in effort to find a good route through the downtown to connect the MCRT to Grenville Park to the north. The map to the left is one of a few options. We'll be having news on this, often.

AND IN THE WHITE AREA,

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION

On the South Coast and Cape Cod

South Coast Bikeway Alliance writes to the MassDOT Secretary of Transportation urging the state continue funding bike-ped projects--in the face of uncertainty from the happenings in DC. Read more.

Should Barnstable cut down 91 trees for the Cape Cod Rail Trail? Public hearing March 19. Heather McCarron Cape Cod Times 3-14-25

BARNSTABLE — A public hearing to review a proposal for cutting 91 trees on Mary Dunn Road to allow for a several mile extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail is set for March 19. The hearing, hosted by the Barnstable Department of Public Works, will be held virtually via Zoom, starting at 6 p.m. Read more.

Here's some info about

Rail-w-Trail in Massachusetts

One of my NN Board members, Ben Bayes, pulled together these illustrative examples linked above.

And to the right is a letter from the Mass Secretary of Transportation urging that we build more rail-w-trail projects because they are important connections to develop. This letter is from 2013. Both of these docs and more, can be seen at:

https://www.norevisionisthistory.org/rails-w-trails

AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;

Interesting, "HIGH ALTITUDE" Stories From Around the Country and Sometimes Beyond.

Bike Lanes and Shared use paths?

Trump Administration Takes Aim at Bike Lanes and other projects. Read more

Another story by StreetsBlog

U.S. DOT Orders Review of All Grants Related to Green Infrastructure, Bikes.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is coming for our bike lanes. Read more

We all knew it was coming, but now it’s in writing. The Trump Administration has started its attempts to claw back Biden-era USDOT grants for a slew of projects to address gender and racial equity, climate change, and bicycling, according to an email from Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to the heads of agency offices Read more

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The new Norwottuck Network is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation specifically set up to help get the longest rail trail in New England--the Mass Central Rail Trail --built-out, operational and notable.

We can help do that by making small, mini-grants available to local groups and communities that will bring restore/renovate/replace historic mile-markers on the corridor. Or help fund kiosks that will call out forgotten railroad or industrial history of that locale.

Or if and when we need to, (or are asked to) we will commission major reports to answer the "elephant in the room" questions, never asked.

We will want to work with the state park agency Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on standardized kiosk designs.

We will keep you all posted as to developments as we go. We have made it easy to DONATE through the Network for Good.

Here's some of the Podcasts

I've been on.

Constant Contact alerted us that this newsletter is in the top 10% of all of Constant Contact's newsletters, worldwide, in terms of readership engagement. Imagine that!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE NOTIFICATION LETTER..

Phone: 413-575-2277 or Email Me