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The Cochituate Trail |
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Mass Trails Proposed or Under Construction | Map of Local Trails | |
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| The Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) has been under development for the past several years and much has been accomplished. This multi-use trail will follow the abandoned Saxonville Branch rail line, and it is hoped will eventually extend from the Sudbury River in Saxonville to the railway station in Natick Center, a distance of four miles. Various parts of the property are currently owned by CSX railroad, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA). The Massachusetts Central Transportation Planning Staff's January 2000 Reconnaissance Study of the Saxonville Branch Right-of-Way is a good overview of the CRT project. In September 2001, the Town of Framingham created the Framingham CRT Committee to oversee the development of the trail. The Committee has hosted more than a dozen workdays to date and the rail line has been cleared of brush and trash. Removing 30 years of tree growth and illegal dumping is quite an accomplishment, and we would like to thank everyone involved including the Town, the MTA, and over a hundred volunteers from all over the region. See Pictures.
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| A major milestones in the development of the
trail occurred in October of 2003 when the Framingham Board of Selectmen
unanimously voted to accept an easement from the Mass Turnpike Authority (MTA),
which will allow Framingham to use the half-mile portion portion of the
Trail property owned by the Authority, (from the Mass
Pike to Rte. 30 behind Home Depot), as a public park. This was
followed by a Dec 23rd decision from th Authority to allow public use of an
additional section from Rte. 30 down to the Natick border near Rte. 9. The October decision established a minimum easement width for the Mass Pike to Rte. 30 section, ensuring that even if the MTA sells the land, the new owners must leave a 24 foot pathway in place. CRT members and others continue to argue for the full width (60 to 85 ft.) rail corridor which is in place for the rest of the trail. With this part of the trail now assured, about the only remaining obstacle is language in the MBTA's standard agreement that could obligate the Town to additional expenses such as installing lighting or paying the cost of cleanup on any contamination found in the ground. Once agreement is reached, Framingham can begin to expend the money and materials, including $100,000 from the MTA to continue development of the northern part of the trail. A signalized crossing of Old Connecticut Path may need to be constructed, and two small bridges over Cochituate Brook will have to be repaired with new wooden decking. There is also a need to clear an accumulation of brush and trash from the trail.
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As of the end of February 2004, the Framingham CRT committee has a new Web Page under construction. Keep an eye on www.crtrail.org for lots of good pictures and late breaking information, as this new trail becomes a reality. Meetings of the Framingham CRT committee are normally held the third Monday of each month at 7:30pm in the Memorial Building, 150 Concord Street, Framingham. For more info, contact Mark Lamkin (mlamkin@rcn.com). To contact the Framingham CRT Committee, or to join our email list for news, updates, future clean up announcements, etc., send an email to: CRT-Friends@rcn.com Thank You, The Framingham CRT Committee For additional information about the Cochituate Rail Trail visit: www.millermicro.com/crt.html
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