Category Archives: Uncategorized

If you look at Google Street View for the Lake St. crossing of the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington, MA, including the current and previous years’ images, it’s rare to find one that doesn’t show someone walking, biking, or jogging crossing, about to cross, or at least somewhere near the crosswalk. That’s not surprising, as theContinue reading “Minuteman Bikeway getting a crossing upgrade”

The rail trail corridor that traverses Salem, Windham, Derry, and Londonderry, NH, comprises the southernmost 15-or-so miles of the Granite State Rail Trail. There are just a few remaining gaps to fill to connect all the way from the Massachusetts border at Methuen (and the Methuen Rail Trail) and Manchester, the state’s largest city —Continue reading “Minor improvements to Windham and Derry Rail Trails”

New or refurbished public parks are often opportune projects for creating trail connections. A glowing example is Riverside Park on the banks of the Woonasquatucket River in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. A partnership of neighborhood stakeholders and government agencies — led by what is now the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council — teamed up toContinue reading “Park project moves forward first phase of Merrimack River Greenway Trail in Concord”

The Town of Swampscott, MA, is getting started on building its two-mile rail trail vision. Construction started this week on a short (two-block) initial segment of the trail, from Beach Bluff Ave. to Seaview Ave. at the Marblehead line. The 10-foot-wide, stone dust path will run along the East Coast Greenway corridor and help fillContinue reading “Swampscott getting a start on its rail trail”

Active transportation planners talk a lot about connectivity and closing gaps. For trails, a gap is sometimes a clear missing link along a linear corridor. Two New England examples include the 1.6-mile gap in the Eastern Trail between Scarborough and South Portland, ME, which the Eastern Trail Alliance is working hard to close. Another isContinue reading “Closing gaps in Cambridge and Somerville”

The dream for the East Coast Greenway is “a 3,000-mile protected biking and walking route”. Today, that dream is about 33 percent complete. That means that two-thirds of the route from Key West, FL, to Calais, ME, is composed of designated on-road routes shared with motor vehicles. While these on-road segments are thoughtfully designated forContinue reading “The radical transformation of an on-road section of the East Coast Greenway”

Dirt will soon be turned on the first phase of the Twin Cities Rail Trail, a generally 12-foot-wide shared use path that will connect Leominster and Fitchburg, MA. Last week, MassDOT awarded the contract to the lowest apparent bidder, J.H. Lynch & Sons, according to the Twin Cities Rail Trail Facebook page. Phase 1 extendsContinue reading “Twin Cities Rail Trail moving forward in Leominster and Fitchburg”

Implementation of the vision for the Concord – Lake Sunapee Rail Trail (CLSRT) took a small step forward this week. Stone dust surfacing, a trailhead parking area, and other improvements were completed for a half-mile segment starting at Fisherville Rd. in northwest Concord. When fully complete, the CLSRT will extend over 20 miles generally westContinue reading “New section of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail open”

How fast can you travel 300 miles on 46 trails in a single state? That is the crux of the New Hampshire Rail Trails Challenge, which was initiated by the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition (NHRTC). If you completely travel all open sections of trail via any combination of walking, bicycling, rollerblading or rollerskating, skiing,Continue reading “New Hampshire Rail Trails Challenge”

The East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) has a heartening new proposal for economic recovery: a Greenway Stimulus. The pandemic has taken so many lives around the globe, and it is still not close to ending. It has caused incalculable pain and suffering for the loved ones of victims. In the U.S., as I write this,Continue reading “Greenways can help us recover”