MethuenRailTrail

By Laura Schweizer from WickedLocal News
Mon Aug 31, 2009, 02:54 PM EDT

Chelmsford – Music of the Chelmsford Community Band Jazz Ensemble bellowed over the excited chatter of more than 200 people gathered on the second floor of Old Town Hall. Saturday, Aug. 29, marked the long-awaited (20-plus years) official opening of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, BFRT.

Eighteen board members of the Friends of the BFRT and more than 40 volunteers oversaw the festivities, which included speeches, attendance of Westford’s Boy Scout Troop 759 and the Honor Guard, booths for non-profit organizations, a rail trail “ticket” self-guided historic tour, and an afternoon cookout at Agway.
(continue reading)

Tags: Bruce Freedman Rail Trail, Chelmsford

Phase one of rail trail to open Sat.
Boston Globe. August 27, 2009

After nearly 25 years of planning, funding constraints, environmental obstacles, and privacy concerns among abutters, the first phase of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail will officially open Saturday.

The 6.8-mile, 10-foot-wide paved trail, which traverses woods, wetlands, open fields, and shopping areas, starts at the Cross Point Towers in Lowell, goes through Chelmsford, and ends at Route 225 in Westford. It cost $4.8 million in state and federal funds to build.

“I never gave up on it, but I really wondered if I’d be here to see this,’’ said 84-year-old Daphne Freeman, widow of Bruce Freeman, a former state representative from Chelmsford.

Bruce Freeman started researching the idea for a bike path in 1985 after seeing one in California. He died in 1986 before the project got off the ground.

The northern phase, which took two years to build and was funded with state and federal funds, is just the beginning of a 25-mile trail along former railroad routes that will go from Lowell through Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, and Sudbury, and end in Framingham.

“I think it’s such a happy thing,’’ Daphne Freeman said. “It’s good for people’s health, it’s safe, and it’s good for the environment.’’

Freeman and her family will attend Saturday’s ribbon cutting, which will be held at 10 a.m. at the Old Town Hall in Chelmsford center. An opening celebration on the town common will follow.

(read more)

Tags: Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Chelmsford

from WickedLocal News:

CHELMSFORD – On Saturday, Aug. 29, after more than 24 years of planning, working, and waiting, the 6.8-mile section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Cross Point Towers in Lowell to Route 225 in Westford will officially open! This is the first completed section of the rail trail that is planned to extend southward through Sudbury into Framingham.

The MassHighway ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at Old Town Hall in Chelmsford Center, followed by a gala celebration sponsored by the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on the Chelmsford Town Common with music, balloons, and refreshments.

The 6.8 miles of trail will be open, with activities suitable for children and adults scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Join the activities by using any non-motorized form of transportation, and enjoy this new trail. A barbeque with hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks, for $1 each, will be available at Agway on Maple Road in Chelmsford from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

This section of the planned 25-mile multi-use rail trail has been under construction for two years. The trail will be accessible to users of all ages and abilities. It traverses woods, wetlands, open fields, and shopping areas and also features an artwalk with renderings of historic Chelmsford buildings painted by local artists.

The ceremony will be held rain or shine. We encourage you to take part in this day of celebration and fun!

Tags: Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

Published: August 04, 2009 03:29 am

Derry bike path paved
By Eric Parry

DERRY — The first section of the town's bike path has been paved as
part of a $315,000 project.

The asphalt was laid two weeks ago and only minor cleanup work
remains, according to public works Director Mike Fowler.

The first paved section runs from Kendall Pond Road to Bowers Road.
When finished, the two-mile bike path will connect from downtown Derry
to the four-mile, paved bike path in Windham.

Fowler said he's pleased with the work completed so far and the rest
of that one-mile section should be done within the next two weeks.
Some grass needs to be planted and the shoulders of the trail graded,
Fowler said.

Erich Whitney, president of the Derry Rail Trail Alliance, said the
group is raising money to pave the rest of the path but doesn't expect
that work to be completed this summer.

The group still needs to raise about $50,000 to finish the paving, he said.

To help pay for the rest of the work, Whitney said the Derry Rail
Trail Alliance has teamed up with similar groups in Salem and Windham
to apply for federal grants. If they can secure enough funding,
Whitney said he would like to fix a culvert beneath Bowers Road.

"It'd be nice to have a bigger tunnel so people don't have to duck
their heads," he said.

Tags: Derry Rail Trail

I thought this was interesting as all hell.

Ben and Melissa Bryant of Bellingham have started ‘Tour de Mass’, a 300-mile bike ride across the state, Provincetown to Williamstown. They started Aug 2nd and expect to finish Aug 11th. It’s pretty sad that the Globe isn’t covering it, did you know that the Guardian in the UK has an entire section dedicated to cycling?

Here’s the link to the Google map of their trip.

Tags: Cycling, Massachusetts

NH rail trail advocates aim for state grant

By Terry Date
Published: July 23, 2009 12:56 am

WINDHAM — Before pedaling over the Windham Rail Trail, bicyclists paused by an information kiosk they hope, someday soon, will display a trail route through three neighboring towns.

Members of the Southern New Hampshire Rail Trail Alliance want to make that hope a reality by securing a $1.3 million state transportation enhancement grant to build a paved trail connecting an 8-mile stretch from Old Rockingham Road in Salem north to Derry Center by the old train depot.

(read the article in its entirety)

Tags: Derry Rail Trail

I took my bike around Newburyport Saturday afternoon just to see what it was like to ride around a city that was relatively flat…btw it was luxurious… I have used the bike routes to and from Plumb Island and that’s a treat as well. Where the roads intown don’t have actual bike lanes there are many more cyclists and the cars give you enough room to ride..well MOST of the cars. BTW there are five pedicabs on the road in Newburyport, now THAT’s a lot of exercise.

I grabbed some pictures of their Clipper City Rail Trail under construction. Seeing as how it is part of the Border to Boston Trail it will be larger and more elaborate than the proposed Methuen Trail…but it’s good to have goals.

The Clipper City Rail Trail will connect to Salisbury’s Eastern Marsh Trail via a rail road bridge across the Merrimack River, run south through to the MBTA station and continue down into Newbury and Rowley. They are also integrating it into their plans for additional downtown bike routes.

Tags: Area Trails, Border to Boston, Clipper City Rail Trail, Newburyport

• Salisbury rail trail to be finished by November.
“The 10-foot- wide, paved, $1.1 million rail trail will be built with Massachusetts Highway Department funds because a lot of state and local officials worked “in partnership” to make it happen, said state Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, and state Rep. Michael Costello, D-Newburyport. ”

Tags: Eastern Marsh Trail, Mass Highway, Salisbury, Salisbury Coastal Trails

• Groton/Townsend Rail-trail group mulls options to fund design plan.
” A group of people is hoping to create a 3.7-mile recreational path along the rail track in Groton and Townsend. The first hurdle to be cleared: how to fund a design plan. Committees from both towns are working to research the feasibility of funding the so-called Squannacook River Rail Trail. A 100 percent design plan must be done before applying for construction grants.”

Tags: Groton, Squannacook River Rail Trail, Townsend

• Adding artistic touches to the Bruce Freedman Rail Trail
“Trails like the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail provide opportunities for transportation, recreation, and interaction with nature. Such trails can also provide opportunities for art. Sometimes artwork is designed with the trail. Such is the case with the bicycle rack and bench at an overlook on the Nashua River Rail Trail.”

Tags: Bruce Freedman Rail Trail, Nashua River Rail Trail