|
|
|
|
Quinebaug rail trail moves a bit down funding path
Cost of designing 10.8-mile route By Brian Lee November 1, 2007...A rudimentary multitown recreational trail could be ready by next spring or early summer, but the complete conversion of the former Providence & Worcester Railroad property could be a couple of years down the line, according to state Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge. The 2008 target date for the trail depends on volunteers clearing brush from the Quinebaug River Rail Trail Bikeway, Mr. Moore said this week. Officials in the meantime will figure out how to fund a design of the planned 10.8-mile path through Southbridge, Dudley, Webster and Thompson, which is likely to be topped with crushed stone, said Mr. Moore, who attended a recent meeting of the Quinebaug Rail Trail Regional Advisory Committee. The last reauthorization of federal Transportation Enhancement Activities funds, in 2005, earmarked $800,000 for the creation and extension of the Quinebaug trail, and another $560,000 for the 3.5-mile Grand Trunk Trail from River Road in Sturbridge to West Street in Southbridge. State Executive Office of Transportation Ombudsman Guy Bresnahan said the Quinebaug trail received a high priority for design and construction after the figure was adjusted several times by Congress. Its final expected value for five years is $691,408, Mr. Bresnahan said. A match of 20 percent from the state Highway Department would bring the Quinebaug trail funding to $864,260, but if communities use the money for design, they have to provide their own 20 percent matches to cover the design, Mr. Bresnahan said. The transportation official advised project proponents to consider fundraising. “I feel this earmark in no way would cover the construction costs of that trail,” he said. Meanwhile, the senator said he was pleased about an apparent agreement worked out to finally obtain the $200,000 from the state promised in July 2006. It will be used to pay for an aerial survey and initial cleanup and removal of rails and stockpiling of ties, which have to be done under separate contracts because the ties are a hazardous material. The rails are an asset because they can be sold as scrap metal, and this benefit could reduce the cost for removing them, Mr. Moore said. In addition to soliciting for those jobs, project manager Hamer D. Clarke of Southbridge is also charged with obtaining the aerial survey, a needed document for eliminating questions about what stretch of the path is owned privately or by the state or town, the senator said. Mr. Moore indicated he was unsure whether Thompson officials and residents, or the state of Connecticut, support the initiative. The Thompson stretch is still owned by the railroad company, and if no effort is made to acquire and develop that stretch, the committee would look at an alternate route connecting the Dudley stretch by using existing roads. This would not be preferred because of safety concerns with traffic, Mr. Moore said. There’s also an issue with at least one bridge along the path, which may need to be replaced or widened to ensure it can hold a firetruck or emergency vehicle in case of a brush fire or health emergency, the senator said. The Grand Trunk Trail, which is split among property owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and towns of Southbridge and Sturbridge, is a bit further along in the process of accessing federal funding. A request was made in September for the state Highway Department to release money for final design and permits, Thomas A. Chamberland of the Army Corps said. Mr. Bresnahan asked for additional information and clarification, and provided guidance in the way the proposal should be submitted so that it could be moved to Congress. Mr. Chamberland is scheduled to meet tomorrow with Sturbridge Town Administrator James J. Malloy to address those issues and rework the proposal. “Hopefully we can get it back to (Mr. Bresnahan) in the next week or so,” Mr. Chamberland said, “and hopefully by the end of the year, the funds will be released to bring on a design consultant and start the final design for the trail.” Read the complete article at telegram.com |
