Proposed Central Mass. Bike Paths and Trails

Belchertown Rail Trail

This 13-mile eastward extension of the Norwottuck Trail began its initial design phase with ISTEA funding. Lewis Louraine of the Belchertown Rail Trail Committee can provide further information. At a meeting on November 17, 1997, the town conducted a straw poll which defeated this 5.52 mile extension of the Norwottuck Rail Trail, despite support from the 800-member-strong Friends of the Belchertown Rail Trail.

Blackstone River Heritage Park (map)

The Blackstone Valley Bikeway is a proposed recreational and commuting facility through the Blackstone River Valley. It will use both on- and off-road routes in transportation corridors established by the historic Blackstone Canal and by railroads, both active and long since abandoned. It will connect the City of Worcester with the Town of Blackstone, passing through Millbury, Sutton, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge and Millville. At the state line in Blackstone it will connect with the Rhode Island Blackstone River Bikeway (a 19-mile designed bike route terminating in the City of Providence). The bike route in both states will link together urban areas, mill villages, state parks and historic sites in the nationally recognized Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor, as both an alternate transportation route and linear park.

Preliminary design for the bikeway, including the identification of a preferred alignment, will be complete by September 1996. With available funding, final design for the project would follow the completion of the current study and construction would follow completion of final design. Construction of the bikeway would occur in segments.

Fitchburg-Leominster Bikepath

This proposed 4.2 mile rail trail would run along Route 12 between the cities of Fitchburg and Leominster. A Friends of the Rail Trail group has been formed to support the creation of this rail trail. The group would like to locate the trail along the former railroad bed currently owned by CSX Railroad. The group, in collaboration with both the cities of Fitchburg and Leominster, has begun negotiation efforts with the railroad in order to purchase the land. Funding for land purchase and some design work might be in the federal TEA-21 extension.

Hardwick Bike Path

This path could be built on an approximately 4.8 mile abandoned rail bed stretching from the village of Gilbertville to the village of Wheelwright, both sections of Hardwick. Much of the trail would run along the Ware River. The trail could eventually continue into New Braintree and Barre to connect with the Mass. Central Rail Trail, which will eventually connect Boston to the Pioneer Valley. TEA-21 extension funding would allow for the design and construction of the Hardwick path.

Quinebaug Valley Trail

This 10.8 mile trail on the former Providence and Worcester railroad line links Southbridge, Dudley, and Webster, as well as a Thompson, Connecticut. The Grand Trunk Trail Blazers are the citizen's group working on this trail.

Squannacook River Rail Trail

The Squannacook River Rail Trail will be a 9.4 mile long trail running through Townsend and Groton. Funding for the 6.8 mile Townsend portion might be in the federal TEA-21 extension. The northern terminus of the proposed Squannacook River Rail Trail is the existing 10-mile Mason-Greenville Trail in New Hampshire. This linkage would create a 19.4 mile trail system. Eventually, the trail system could continue south another 3.8 miles to connect to the existing Nashua River Rail Trail.

Sturbridge

A plan has been drafted for a series of multi-access trails to crisscross Sturbridge, connecting tourist attractions and town facilities, such as schools. Paved trails would run along MA 49 from Spencer to the Town Common, then along MA 15 to Connecticut. The other leg of the "X" would follow MA 148 from Brookfield and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land along the Quinebaug River to Southbridge. The project is being run out of the Town Administrators Office, 308 Main St., Sturbridge, MA 01500-1078.