Rail Trail News

Rail Trail e-Newsletter November, 2023 #83

Hello all,

Happy Thanksgiving week. This issue has a three-fer from our Golden Spike 2023 Conference held on 10-14 in Natick. We have a full, 2.25 hour, wall-to-wall video by the Town of Natick's Pegasus Cable Access Channel. (thanks to the town and Josh Ostroff for pulling that off.) We also have Tom Adams and Reelife Production's 17 minutes highlight reel of the event along with a video of one of the tours that day. There is also a Podcast that gives some ideas about next steps Post-GS2023.

We are chock full of other bits and pieces of news from around the region and in the orange area--the High Altitude--area, we have six stories there.

And btw, I'll be speaking before the Berlin Mass Cons-Com on Wednesday 12-6 at 7 pm. I'm pretty sure it'll be a hybrid meeting so if you are interested in tuning in, drop me an email and I'll get you Zoom URL.

Enjoy Thanksgiving.

best,

Craig Della Penna, Board President

Norwottuck Network, Inc.

62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062

413 575 2277 Craig@MassCentralRailTrail.org

In the GREEN area, we have news about the

Mass Central Rail Trail

and or its connecting paths

Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust recently installed this nice descriptive plaque on one of the milemarkers along their section of the MCRT. Read more.

FinishTheRailTrail.org

This site will not be live for a few weeks or so. Don't fret though because the wait will be worth it.

HERES' A DOUBLY UNUSUAL THING.

First off; A story about crime on rail trail in Weston? Whoa!

And then to find out the report was fabricated.

WESTON, MA — Weston police are investigating a stabbing that happened Tuesday afternoon along the Weston section of the Mass Central Rail Trail, according to police. Read more.

WESTON, MA — A man who told police he was stabbed during a robbery along the Mass Central Rail Trail section in Weston fabricated the incident, police are reporting. Read more.

ARE YOU REGRETTING THAT YOU COULDN'T ATTEND GS2023?

WELL, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED. GET OUT YOUR POPCORN.

Here's two videos and a Podcast about GS2023.

Here's a link to a "Highlight Reel", a 17 minute video by Reelife Productions of Williamsburg of both the indoor section and one of the outdoor tours as well as a Drone shot of some of the attendees from above. Click here to see the video.

Here's a link to the entire conference. All 2.25 hours of the indoor section. This was filmed by the Town of Natick's Cable Access provider, Pegasus.

Click here to see the video.

A recent BIKE TALK Podcast by Nick Reichert was about GS2023

Nationally known Podcaster Nick Reichert asked me to pull together a few people he was sitting with at GS2023 to have a post conference conversation about 'Next Steps' for the MCRT. LISTEN here. Our talk about the GS-2023 section starts at 23:20 minutes into the podcast.

The MCRT under-construction in Hudson will soon cross beneath Chestnut St. by way of a brand new tunnel

This tunnel is very similar to a couple of recently built ones on the MCRT. One in Weston and the one under Charnock Hill Road in Rutland.

During the construction of the Eversource grid enhancement project underneath the Wayside section of the MCRT, a new concrete tunnel will be a part of the finished project. To the left we see that the tunnel was early in the process and to the right we see that the construction of the tunnel is nearly complete. Mass DCR will come-in and finish out the trail. This is a part of the approximately 12 miles of the MCRT under construction right now.

Communities on the

on the MCRT and their websites

Did you know that many communities (or groups like land trusts) on the MCRT alignment are working on their section of the trail?

Here's a link to a two-page infographic about the history of the MCRT

Here's a link to the report that answers the main question. "What would a completed MCRT mean to the Commonwealth and the communities along the way."

Here are links to websites where you can learn who the contact person is, when these groups meet, when hearings are being planned and how to sign up to get notices sent directly to you.

Belmont: Link here to the town appointed committee.

Belmont: Link here to the Belmont Citizens Forum.

Belmont: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.

Somerville: Link here to the Friends of the Community Path Facebook group.

Waltham: Link here to the Waltham Land Trust's site.

Waltham: Link here to the Waltham Bike Committee.

Waltham: Link here to the City's page about the MCRT.

Weston: Link here to the town's page about the MCRT

Weston: Link here to the history of both the RR and the advocacy to create the trail. Over 25 years of advocacy. It is now open.

Wayland: Link here.

Sudbury: Link here for the N-S intersecting trail--Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.

Berlin-Hudson: Link here to the new FaceBook group.

Berlin: Link here goes to the town's Rail Trail Committee. They also have a pretty nice website with pictures of the existing dead RR corridor along other maps and images of a future trail. Link here.

Wayside segment of the MCRT: Link here to a regularly updated history of DCR's efforts on building out this complicated trail.

Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust: Link here. updated info.

Clinton Tunnel: Link here to a story on WBZ Boston TV about the tunnel.

Wachusett Greenways: Link here.

Wachusett Greenways Facebook page with a link to their E-newsletter: Link here.

East Quabbin Land Trust: Link here.

Palmer coming soon

Ware: Link here to the Facebook group about this segment of the MCRT'.

Belchertown: Link for the site for Friends of the Belchertown Greenway.

Amherst, Hadley on DCR's Norwottuck section of the MCRT: Link here.

Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails website.

Northampton area: Link here to the Friends of Northampton Trails Facebook.

Here's DOT's Recent Feasibility study about how to piece together the middle sections of the MCRT.

AND IN THE WHITE AREA,

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION

Guest editorial: Connected trails in VT can provide recreation and economic prosperity

Andy Crossman and Kurt Hansbury

St. Albans Messenger. Nov 9, 2023

With the recent completion of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT), now intersecting in Franklin County with the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail (MVRT), we are poised to see a boost to our recreational economy from local, national, and Canadian recreation tourism. Read more

East Bay Bike Path bridges in RI are finally getting replaced, but will fishermen lose out? Antonia Noori Farzan Providence Journal 10-27-23

Fans of the East Bay Bike Path were thrilled when the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced that it could finally afford to rebuild two decrepit bridges that have been closed since they were deemed a safety hazard in 2019.

GRANT ROUND OPEN FOR THE NEXT MASS TRAILS FUNDING CYCLE CLICK HERE

Quietly and slowly, but underway right now, is a rebranding of the longest interstate trail in New England, to have only one name.

Rather than twelve+ names. Wow. What a normal and long overdue idea. Click here.

A COUPLE OF STORIES FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE

NH Seacoast Greenway and more trails to unseen Portsmouth to be completed in 2024 Jeff McMenemy Portsmouth Herald

PORTSMOUTH — The section of the long-planned New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway from North Hampton to Barberry Lane in Portsmouth is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024, according to city Public Works Director Peter Rice. READ MORE.

The City of Keene NH has recently started work on the federally funded Transportation Heritage Trail (Phase I) project. The Transportation Heritage Trail The project will reuse three historic bridges to carry the trail across Rt. 101, the Branch River, and Swanzey Factory Road.

Two of these bridges were antique bridges that were disassembled from other highway locations in NH, and then refurbished/repainted and will be reassembled to be a part of this trail that'll be a mecca for bridge aficionados from all over U.S.

This first phase has a more modest goal of improving approximately 4,100 feet of railroad corridor and creating connections to adjacent neighborhoods.

Public Listening Session - Transportation Heritage Trail

December 4, 2023, 6:00 PM

LINK HERE to the city's page about this event. (I'll be there as I have an interesting connection to Keene. I wouldn't miss this for the world. CDP)

Adirondack, NY Rail Trail small business grant proposals being sought. By News Report 11-18-23

HARRIETSTOWN | The Franklin County Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC), in partnership with the towns of Tupper Lake and Harrietstown, NY will be applying for grant funding to support start-up and existing small businesses with projects that will directly enhance the experience of the Adirondack Rail Trail READ MORE.

$223,478 State Grant Secured For Farmington River Rail Trail Project. CANTON, CT

Local lawmakers shared news of the grant and how it will aid the Farmington River Rail Trail. Sen. Lisa Seminara and Rep. Elena Kavros DeGraw announced a $223,478 state grant to make safety connections to the Farmington River Rail Trail, the lawmakers said in a news release.

“This funding will make the trail safer and more accessible for area residents to enjoy,” Sen. Seminara said in a news release. “We are thankful that the state recognizes what a wonderful recreational resource this is and how it contri-butes to our quality of life. This is a wise investment."

AND IN THE ORANGE AREA;

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

Reduce. Reuse. Remediate? The clean-up of abandoned industrial lots Brayton Riley, Ball State Univ. 11-12-23

The following is part of a class project originally initiated in the classroom of Ball State University professor Adam Kuban in fall 2021. Read more

All aboard the Cambridge ‘bike bus,’ where parents and kids find strength in numbers

Part parade, part political statement, groups of cycling elementary school students and their guardians are banding together en route to school. And they say they’re just getting started. By Spencer Buell Globe Staff. November 8, 2023s. Read more

How bad is Boston traffic? It’s on the sidewalk now. By Beth Teitell Globe Staff, November 6, 2023

As the micro-mobility movement gains popularity, sidewalks have become a free-for-all with powered bikes, electric scooters, and those one-wheeled things. But where are people supposed to go? Read more

Think you need another car? Consider an e-bike instead.

by Michael J. Coren, WAPO Climate Advice Columnist 10-17-23

When Kawthar Duncan immigrated to Detroit from Syria at age 12, she couldn’t ride a bicycle. With no money to buy a bike, she learned how to ride at local parks or friends’ houses. But by the time she arrived in San Francisco at age 26, Duncan hadn’t touched handlebars in years.

NY Times 8-26-23. By Andrew Leonard Since the fall of 2019, the writer has biked his groceries home roughly 50 times.

I was physically destroyed the first time I rode my bike home from Costco lugging a trailer full of groceries. The 11-mile round trip left me with dead legs, a sore back and the sneaking suspicion I had made a mistake. Read more

Cycling TV Journalist Orla Chennaoui Defends Her Choice Not to Wear a Helmet

To be clear, she's based in Amsterdam, where more than 60% of residents use bicycle to commute daily. By Micah Ling. Bicycling Magazine Nov 15, 2023

For some, wearing a helmet when riding a bike is an obvious choice. It’s a form of protection in the event of a crash or a fall—and at the very least, it makes them feel safe. But for others, wearing a helmet in bike-centric cultures seems unnecessary.