Farmington Canal Trail

The Farmington Canal Trail is a multi-use rail trail located in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

It follows the abandoned right-of-way of the former New Haven and Northampton Railroad. This railroad was built along the route of the Farmington Canal in Connecticut and the Hampshire and Hampden Canal in Massachusetts.

Trail history

The rail trail began to be developed during the 1990s following railroad abandonment. The trail runs from downtown New Haven, Connecticut to Northampton, Massachusetts, closely following the path of Route 10.

In the sections where it has been completed, it provides thousands of people per day with bicycling, hiking and jogging opportunities. In many areas, the trail is lined with historic "lock houses" dating from the time of the original canal, as well as retaining walls, canal locks (elevators for boats), old sections of canal, and other features. In Cheshire, Connecticut, the only restored lock along the original Canal line has been incorporated into the Lock 12 Historical Park, which also comprises a small museum.

Trail Status

The entire route of the Farmington Canal Trail is not yet completed, but it is a major priority for most towns along its route. The trail is divided into two sections: A southern section from New Haven to Plainville, and a northern section from Farmington to Suffield.

outhern Section

As of July 2008, three sections of the trail are paved and open to traffic. The New Haven section is open between Hillhouse Avenue to Starr Street. In August 2006, Yale University announced it would contribute towards the completion of the final two blocks of the trail through downtown New Haven, from Hillhouse Avenue to the Audubon Arts District. The city of New Haven and the town of Hamden are currently constructing the 2.8-mile gap between Starr Street and the next completed section beginning at Connolly Parkway and is planned for opening in Summer 2009. The second open section of trail runs from Connolly Parkway in Hamden to Cornwall Avenue in Cheshire. The third open section runs from West Main Street to Hart Street in the town of Southington.

Northern Section

The northern section includes about 20 miles of trail. Nearly all of this section is paved and well marked, including East Coast Greenway blazes for the applicable segment. Most of it is off road, although there are numerous road crossings, and some sections run alongside roads similar to a sidewalk. As of October 2008, the bridge which carries the trail over Salmon Brook in Granby is closed, requiring an on-road detour of about 2 miles in that area. However, decking is expected to be complete and the bridge open by December 2008. [Farmington Valley Trails Council [http://www.fvgreenway.org/Newsletter.php Greenway News Fall 2008] , "President's Letter", Accessed October 5, 2008.] Intersections with the Farmington River Trail are (1) near the start of the trail, on Red Oak Hill Rd. in Farmington, and (2) at the intersection of Rt. 10 and Drake Hill Rd. in Simsbury.

As of May 12, 2008, construction has begun on a section of trail extending from the CT state line into Southwick, MA. [ [http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/work_begins_on_new_southwick_b.html Work begins on new Southwick bicycle trail] masslive.com, Accessed June 30, 2008.]

ee also

* Farmington Canal
* Hampshire and Hampden Canal
* New Haven and Northampton Railroad

External links

* [http://www.farmingtoncanal.org/ Farmington Canal Rail to Trail Association/Farmington Canal Trail] (Southern section - New Haven to Plainville)
* [http://www.fvgreenway.org/ Farmington Valley Trails Council/Farmington Valley Greenway] (Northern Section - Farmington to Suffield)
*cite web|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2008/08/03/life/19885058.txt|title=Enjoying the Farmington Canal Greenway|date=08/03/2008|publisher=New Haven Register|accessdate=2008-10-05
* [http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=41.852174,-71.633606&sspn=0.538056,0.888519&q=http://greenway.org/maps/googlemapdata/ECG-CT.kml&ie=UTF8 The East Coast Greenway on Google Maps: Connecticut] (Includes the entire Southern section, and about 2/3 of the Northern Section)

References