Rail Trail e-Newsletter June 2023 #78
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Hello all,
Here we are on the brink of summer and quite a bit of news has happened in the past few days. There are quite a few sections of the MCRT under construction right now and just last Saturday, a good 2 mile section in Somerville opened. You'll love that story and the pix of the advocates who have been working hard to get this done since the 20th century. Yes. Tirelessly for 25+ years.
We also have a story that has the best comments from the survey to our big report. They are amazing. You'll also see several great stories about ribbon cuttings or ground breakings in Mass--all with high level folks from the Healey/Driscoll Administration. Another sign of these projects being deemed as important. This is good.
We also have a few other noteworthy stories you probably don't know of. Enjoy the start of summer!
best,
Craig Della Penna, Board President
Norwottuck Network, Inc.
62 Chestnut St. Northampton, MA 01062
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In the GREEN area, we have news about the
Mass Central Rail Trail
and or its connecting paths
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A couple of weeks ago, our important and compelling report was released. And in it, it mentioned a SURVEY and how we outreached people across the state.
Don't forget that the special thing about this report is that it answered a question that has never been asked before in our area.
"What would a completed 100+ mile long trail mean to the Commonwealth and the communities along the way."
Over 2,000 people took part in the survey. Many of them offered up comments that amounted to a staggering 37 pages of comments.
Here's a concise 10 pages of the most heart -warming and thoughtful ones. Maybe yours is in here. Read this doc. **Bring the hankies and Kleenex.**
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In case you haven't seen it, Please do READ THE REPORT . It is isn't long and it is an easy read.
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Community Path in Somerville opens on June 10, 2023, by The Somerville Times The City of Somerville and the MBTA are pleased to announce that the Green Line Extension (GLX) Community Path opened on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Read more.
This is a key link in the greater Boston area and something that has been planned and discussed for over 25 years. It has been worked on and discussed for so long, that it has it's own Wikipedia page. Imagine that. LINK HERE. And below is a FB pix of the key people who've been at it for 25+ years. Kudos to them all. And you 21st century people can't imagine it taking such a long time to build something so loved. Well more often than not, it does. CDP
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SAVE THE DATE!! Our 9th GOLDEN SPIKE CONFERENCE will be held on Saturday 10-14-23 at the AmVets facility at 79 Superior Dr. Natick. Right between the Cochituate Rail Trail and Cochituate Lake State Park. A draft website is at: GS2023.org More info including speakers, tours and how to register is coming soon. |
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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.
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.
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AND IN THE WHITE AREA,
OTHER NEWS AROUND THE REGION
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NH DOT's Derry Rail Trail design drops a tunnel - and users' hopes for safety By Roberta Baker, Union Leader Staff May 27, 2023
When Mark Connors, head of the Derry Rail Trail Association, studies the state’s latest plan for Derry’s favorite walking, biking and hiking path, he sees a map of accidents waiting to happen.
Skid-outs, crashes, tumbles and pileups — including people with rolling walkers or wheelchairs — cloud his view of the future, now that the state has scuttled plans for a tunnel under a busy road linking two sides of the railbed trail. Read more. This is very strange given that NHDOT built a couple of tunnels under a limited access highway, Rt 101 in southern NH, 20+ years ago. CDP
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MassDOT Announces New Interactive Priority Trails Network Vision Map for Statewide Shared-Use Paths NEWS PROVIDED BY Massachusetts Department of Transportation May 30, 2023.
The MassTrails Team is pleased to share its Priority Trails Network vision map. The trails shown on this map were selected from many envisioned by communities, trail groups, and agency staff. They represent priorities to be a worked toward, but they are not the only places MassTrails Team attention and funding will be devoted. Also, as key gaps in this network are completed new priorities will be identified and pursued. Read more. Isn't this amazing? CDP
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Looking for a fun place to go on a hike? --from "Only in Your State."
The Keystone Arch Bridges are a pair of historic stone bridges found within Mass Wildlife's Walnut Hill Wildlife Management Area in Middlefield, MA.
The stone bridges were originally built in 1841 as part of the country's first railway to pass through a mountain.
In 2021, the Keystone Arch Bridges became designated National Historic Landmarks. Read it here.
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On Cape Cod, half of this highway is being turned into a bike path. A car-free road will connect Provincetown, Massachusetts, to the beach. BY ADELE PETERS
More than half a century ago, when a four-lane highway was built on the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts, planners envisioned that the area would be heavily developed. But then the Cape Cod National Seashore was approved, protecting the coast from new construction. The highway got little use. Read more.
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Walking the Wachusett Aqueduct in Northborough brings history to life By Alexandra Molnar-June 11/23
NORTHBOROUGH – You have probably seen the Wachusett Aqueduct many times: the iconic bridge over the Assabet River and the grassy path that traverses woods, neighborhoods, and areas you wouldn’t necessarily visit.
Hiking the 4.5-mile length in Northborough brings history to life in delightful, intriguing, and peaceful ways―illuminating an historic, cultural, and recreational resource that is easy to take for granted. Read more.
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Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Over $11 Million in Grant Funding for 68 Trail Improvement Projects Across Massachusetts. Mass DCR Press Release Ilyse Wolberg 6/14/23
MassTrails Program Funding Will Expand and Connect the State’s Network of Trails.
Today, officials joined together in Billerica, which is receiving $472,000 for the design, engineering, and permitting of the Yankee Doodle Bike Path. This path is a long-envisioned regionally significant non-motorized transportation connection between the Minuteman Bikeway in Bedford and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Lowell. Read all the awarded projects.
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It is going to open in a few more weeks.
OMG I can't believe it!
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Governor Phil Scott and Senator Bernie Sanders to Celebrate the Newly Completed Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. SAVE THE DATE!! July 15, 2023. All are invited to join in the Governor’s end-to-end bike ride and planned events.
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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott plans to saddle up on Saturday, July 15, for a 93-mile bike ride to celebrate the official opening of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
Scott will start on the Swanton side with stops along the way. The main event is expected to take place in Morrisville in the early afternoon.
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Many of you know that I've been doing this Rail Trail advocacy stuff for a long, long time. And though you might think; wow, a Governor biking a trail at a ribbon-cutting, that must be pretty special. Well no. Not actually. There has been places not too far away in CT and NH have had Governors biking at ribbon-cuttings. Even Federal Senators in CT and I think RI have been seen riding on a rail trail. But here in VT, in July, we are going to see the Governor of Vermont bike 93 miles across the top of the state. Very cool. But you know what. . . Our Governor, Maura Healey, before she became an attorney, she was a star basketball player at Harvard University. I'd say she's pretty athletic and can probably ride a bike too. Can someone who is in her offices please tell her that we'd love for her to lead the way on our bigger trail. The Mass Central Rail Trail is 104+ which is miles long. Not only is it going to be longer, but since over half the state's population lives just a few miles away, it'll surely be impactful. |
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More rail trails getting built on the south coast of Mass. |
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The newly opened Shining Tides mile of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail is part of the South Coast Bikeway.
Today, that bikeway serves as a model for a growing number of trails around the region, including the South Coast Bikeway. Read more. (hello Spfld. friends, please note that here is yet another long bridge through the wetlands. Like the one you can't have. CDP)
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City of Fall River completes extension of Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail By Ken Paiva Fall River Reporter
FALL RIVER, MA- JUNE 9, 2023. The City of Fall River’s Department of Engineering and Planning recently completed an extension of the Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail. 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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Leave a Legacy: Build a Trail
Older adults are embracing the physical and mental health benefits of walking and are working together to leave a lasting legacy of scenic trails
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Santa Monica’s Ocean Ave Protected Bikeway Installation Captures the World’s Attention LA Streets Blog By Damien Newton
On May 27, the city of Santa Monica tweeted a video of a machine smoothly and quickly laying down the concrete barrier for a protected bike lane. Just about everyone who saw it, had the same verdict, “we need more of these wonderful machines." Read more
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US Cities Are Failing Their Female Cyclists
America’s bike infrastructure isn’t meeting women’s needs. With a flood of government funding and surging e-bike popularity, now’s the time to invest. Bloomberg News By Cara Eckholm May 25, 2023. Read more
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Installing bike racks can also heavily benefit your local business, from encouraging people to ride to gaining more customers to saving money to creating a better image. After reading this, your community will be able to easily plan, lay out and create effective bike parking spaces. Read more
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Boston Mayor Wu Admin Announces ‘Safety Surge’ of Traffic Calming for Neighborhood Streets STREETSBLOG Mass By Christian MilNeil
Mayor Wu's Boston Transportation Department announced a "safety surge" initiative that aims to install hundreds of traffic-calming speed humps and dozens of intersection safety improvements every year. Read more.
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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.
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Here's Podcasts I've been on. |
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Amazingly, 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!
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