Airline State Park

The Airline State Park is a rail trail located in Connecticut.

History

It follows a rail line that was known as the Air Line. It was used as a high speed passenger rail line from Boston to New York City and reached its peak usage during the late 1800s when the famous "White Train" used the route. Passenger service ended before World War II and freight traffic operated until 1955, at which point the bridge over the Quinebaug River in Putnam was washed out by flooding. The section between North Windham and Putnam was abandoned in sections in the late 1950s. The section from Portland to Willimantic was abandoned in the late 1960s. The section from Mechanicsville Jct. in Thompson and into Massachusetts was abandoned in the early 1970s.

Trail development

The abandoned rail corridor between East Hampton and the Massachusetts state line was acquired by the Connecticut State Park System with the section from Route 66 in Windham to US Route 44 in Pomfret opening to the public in 1969 as a bridle trail. In 1976, the trail designation was extended north to Town Farm Road in Putnam. The southern section from East Hampton to Willimantic was opened as a trail in 1986. The Thompson section was opened in 1992.

Airline State Park is divided into three sections:
* South section (from the Smith Street in East Hampton to the Willimantic River)
* North section (from Route 66 in Windham to Town Farm Road in Putnam)
* Thompson section (from Route 193 in Thompson to the MA state line)

The North secion of the trail from Windham to Putnam is part of the East Coast Greenway, which will stretch from Florida to Maine.

The South and North sections are connected by the Veterans Greenway, a short town-owned rail trail on the northeast side of Willimantic. The connection is not complete, as the Willimantic River bridge at the end of the South section is impassable and no trail connection has yet to be made through downtown Willimantic from the bridge to the Veterans Greenway. However a street connection is available joining the two sections by leaving the Southern section at Kingsley Road, continuing 2 miles East to the Frog Bridge, crossing over the bridge, and accessing the North section via the Veterans Greenway.

Future Southern Extension

In 2002, the state DEP acquired an additional 1.5 miles of railbed in East Hampton, continuing the trail south from the current Smith Street terminus to Aldens Crossing Road. A bridge has been constructed to carry the trail across a brook where the original rail bridge was missing. No other work has yet been done to improve this section.

Current Trail Conditions (South section)

Smith Street, East Hampton to Leonard's Bridge Road, Lebanon: This section of the trail has been completed. It has a smooth, hard-packed stone dust surface, benches for resting at more scenic locations, and bike racks. Brand new bridges constructed by cadets from the US Coast Guard Academy carry the trail across the Blackledge and Jeremy Rivers and Judd Brook. This section crosses the Rapello and Lyman Viaducts, massive fills that carried the railroad and now trail across wide valleys. They provide spectacular views, especially in the fall. There is a short (less than 1/4 mile) on-road detour necessary where the Route 2 expressway blocks the railroad bed.

Leonard's Bridge Road, Lebanon to Kingsley Road, Lebanon: The trail has been cleared and some drainage improvements made, but the surface on this section is still unfinished and is mostly dirt and gravel. It is suitable for mountain bikes though hikers and equestrians will probably have an easier time on this stretch than a bike. The town of Lebanon and the state DEP are working hard to upgrade this section and finish the surface. Access from some cross streets is difficult and requires climbing some embankments.

Kingsley Road, Lebanon to Willimantic River: The section is open except for a privately owned piece between Cook Hill Rd and Village Hill Rd. A sign is posted at Cook Hill describing a detour around this section. The trail dead ends at the Willimantic River, as the bridge across to Windham is not passable. The girders from the old railroad bridge are still in place, but the bridge had no deck and is fenced off. The state plans to put a new deck on this bridge at some future point, which would extend the trail into downtown Willimantic and connect it to the Hop River State Park Trail and the northern section of the Airline State Park trail.

Trail Access Points (South section)

The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:

•Smith Street, East Hampton - parking area

•Bull Hill Road, Colchester - parking area

•River Road, Colchester - parking area

•Route 149, Colchester - parking area

•"On road detour under Route 2 via Route 149"

•Old Hartford Road, Hebron - parking area

•Grayville Road, Hebron - parking area

•Old Colchester Road, Hebron - parking area

•Route 85, Hebron - parking area

•North Pond Road, Hebron

•Route 207, Hebron - parking area

•Leonard Bridge Road, Lebanon - parking area

•Chesbro Bridge Road, Lebanon

•Route 87, Columbia

•Cook Hill Road, Lebanon

•Village Hill Road, Lebanon - parking area

•Kingsley Road, Lebanon

Current Trail Conditions (North section)

Though open to the public for its entire length, different segments of the trail are in different stages of development. Some sections are complete and have a finished, stone-dust surface and signage. Other sections have been cleared and had drainage work done, but still have a somewhat rough, unfinished surface that is not suitable for road bikes. Other parts are totally undeveloped and overgrown.

There are no major obstructions of the North section of the trail in the form of missing or unsafe bridges. Though some parts of the trail may be undeveloped, this area does not have the many river crossings of the southern section. The two bridge crossings there are (over Boulevard Road in Windham and across the Quinebaug River in Putnam) have all been repaired and rebuilt for trail use.

The trail continues west of Route 66 as the Veterans Greenway, a town-owned bikeway that leads to downtown Willimantic.

The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of April 2008.

Route 66, Windham to Windham/Chaplin town line: This section has seen many upgrades in recent years. The section's first 1/4 mile was paved as part of the US 6/Route 66 interchange reconstruction project. The state and the town of Windham cleared, graded, installed signage and put down a smooth stone-dust surface on the entire section of the trail in Windham. This included the construction of a trail bridge over Boulevard Road.

Windham/Chaplin town line to Wrights Crossing Road, Pomfret: This section was cleared and graded by the National Guard in the mid-1990s. The surface was not finished and is still rough in sections and there are drainage issues in areas that sometimes flood the trail. There has not been much maintenance done on the trail in the last few years, so even the areas that were cleared have become somewhat grown in. Still, the trail is passable for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. The town of Chaplin received a grant in 2005 to grade, add signage and finish the surface of the trail with stone dust from the Windham town line to the Hampton town line. This work has not yet been started.

Wrights Crossing Road, Pomfret to Town Farm Road, Putnam: This section of trail is completely undeveloped. It has not been cleared and is overgrown, with a rough surface, tree falls, and several wet areas with drainage problems. It is necessary to climb embankments to cross some roads where former bridges have been filled in. It is not really passable, and must be done on foot if attempted.

North of Town Farm Road, the rail bed is privately owned, but the state DEP is in talks to purchase it. This would extend the public trail to Kennedy Drive in Putnam, where a footbridge has already been constructed to carry the trail over the Quinebaug River and connect to Putnam's River Trail.

Trail Access Points (North section)

The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:

•Route 66 / Tuckie Road, Windham

•Route 203, Windham

•Boulevard Road, Windham

•Chewink Road, Chaplin - parking area

•South Brook Street, Hampton

•Potter Road, Hampton - parking area at nearby Goodwin Conservation Center

•Estabrooks Road, Hampton

•Station Road, Hampton

•Griffin Road, Hampton

•Kenyon Road, Hampton - parking area

•Lewis Road, Hampton

•Route 97, Pomfret

•Brooklyn Road, Pomfret

•US Route 44, Pomfret

•Covell Road, Pomfret

•Babbitt Hill Road, Pomfret

•Railroad Street / US 44/Route 169, Pomfret - parking area

•Needles Eye Road, Pomfret

•Wright's Crossing Road, Pomfret

•Holmes Road, Pomfret

•Modock Road, Putnam

•River Road, Putnam

•Town Farm Road, Putnam The following roads cross the trail via over- or under-passes and do not provide access:

•US Route 6, Hampton

Current Trail Conditions (Thompson Section)

Entire Section: The trail is undeveloped, with no actual work having been done to convert the rail bed to a trail. The rails and ties have been removed, but the surface of the trail is mostly the original ballast, with some sections washboarded and other sections flooded. The trail is clear of any major obstructions and is followable on foot, but would be difficult even for a mountain bike. Many areas have been eroded by illegal ATV use, which is a problem on this section. Bridges are still in place to carry the trail safely across the Exit 98 ramps of I-395, and to carry some cross roads over the trail. Some smaller bridges over brooks and streams are not as safe, either missing decks, or just missing altogether. A high bridge over a brook about 3/4 mile south of the Route 200 underpass is missing and requires a detour on an ATV trail that can be wet. It is necessary to climb some embankments to cross some streets.

Trail Access Points (Thompson Section)

The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:

•Route 193, Thompson (south of Thompson center)

•Sunset Hill Road, Thompson

•Lowell Davis Road, Thomson

•Sand Dam Road, Thompson

•East Thompson Road, Thompson

The following roads cross the trail via over- or under-passes and do not provide access:

•Route 200, Thompson

•Route 193, Thompson (north of Thompson center)

The trail safely crosses I-395 via an underpass and the Exit 98 ramps via an overpass.

The trail continues north into Massachusetts as the Southern New England Trunkline Trail, part of the MA State Park System. The surface in MA is the same as in CT, but Mass has improved access at trailheads and road crossings. This trail continues all the way to Franklin, MA.

External links

* [http://railstotrails.us/ct_air_line_rail_trail.htm Airline State Park Page at RailsToTrails.us]
* [http://www.ctxguide.com/ctxguide_068.htm Connecticut Explorer's Guide] Online topo maps of the Airline Rail Trail
* [http://easthamptonct.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/EastHamptonCT_ParkRec/AirlineTrailBrochure.pdf Guide and Map for the Southern Section of East Hampton, Colchester, Hebron, and Lebanon]