Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is a partially-completed rail trail in Massachusetts. The path is a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) paved multi-use trail, available for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and other non-motorized uses.[1] It follows the right-of-way of the disused Framingham and Lowell Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.[2] The constructed route connects with the Bay Circuit Trail, and Phase 2D will connect with the Mass Central Rail Trail.[3] The total planned length of the trail—which will eventually run continuously between Lowell and Framingham—is just under 25 miles (40 km).[1][2]

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in South Chelmsford

The trail is divided into several phases of construction:[2]

• Phase 1: 6.8 miles (10.9 km) in Lowell (starting at Cross Point Towers), Chelmsford, and Westford (ending at Route 225. This segment opened on August 29, 2009.[1] In 2019, the state awarded $180,000 for construction of a short connecting trail under the Lowell Connector.[4]
• Phase 2:

• Phase 2A: 4.9 miles (7.9 km) through Westford, Carlisle, and Acton (Route 225 to just north of Route 2). This segment began construction in June 2015 and opened on April 3, 2018.[5][6]
• Phase 2B: 0.8 miles (1.3 km) in Acton and Concord, in design as of 2019.
• Phase 2C: 2.8 miles (4.5 km) from Commonwealth Avenue to Powder Mill Road in Concord, with a short discontinuity at West Concord station. This $7.2 million segment began construction in July 2017 and opened on September 27, 2019.[7][8] An additional 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from Powder Mill Road to the Concord/Sudbury town line will be added later.[9]
• Phase 2D: 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the town line to Route 20, in design as of 2019.

• Phase 3: 4.8 miles (7.7 km) from Route 20 to Route 9 in Framingham. This section of the right-of-way is still owned by CSX Transportation. In July 2020, the state awarded $300,000 to purchase the right-of-way from Route 20 to the Framingham line.[10]

References

1. Lefferts, Jennifer Fenn (August 27, 2009). "Phase one of rail trail to open Sat". Boston Globe.
2. "Bruce Freeman Rail Trail". Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
3. "Existing and Proposed Facilities". Central Transportation Planning Staff. February 17, 2005 – via Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
4. "2019 MassTrails Grant Awards". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2019.
5. "Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Next Phase Moves Forward" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 25, 2015.
6. Fenn Lefferts, Jennifer (April 4, 2018). "New section of Freeman rail trail opens". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
7. "MassDOT, Concord Celebrate Bruce Freeman Rail Trail 2.5 Mile Extension" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. July 14, 2017.
8. "MassDOT Celebrates Completion of Latest Phase of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 27, 2019.
9. "Bruce Freeman Rail Trail: Construction Phases" (PDF). Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. August 3, 2017.
10. "2020 MassTrails Grant Awards". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 2020. p. 8.

External links

• Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail