EDA award helps fund QVRT - for more details see new project page "Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail Construction"

The Town of Southbridge is excited to begin developing its portion of the Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail which will traverse through Town from the Westville Dam recreation area at the northwest side of Town to the Dudley Town Line to the southeast. The Southbridge portion of the Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail will be approximately 5 miles in length, including 21,000 linear feet along an abandoned rail line, and 5,250 linear feet on-road as a separated path with short sections of “share the road” bicycle accommodations. Existing timber bridges along the abandoned rail bed will remain in place.

The Town of Southbridge has been awarded $2.6M through the Economic Development Administration, $500,000 through Massachusetts Mass Trails grant, and has been provided a $1.5M commitment from MassDOT to build its rail trail. This is truly a collaborative effort that has culimated over the last two decades. Thanks to all who have made this project possible starting with the Trails Committee and the concerned citizens who advocated for a rail trail early on, the legislators who worked to acquire the rail bed (Thank you Mark Carron), the Redevelopment Authority for including it in their 2011 Urban Renewal Plan (Thank you especially to Sandy Acly), and the many staff who came before us to try to see this project through to construction. We look forward to helping make the trail a reality.

To view the Press Release announcing the $2.6M dollar award from the EDA, click the following link:
https://eda.gov/news/press-releases/2022/06/07/southbridge-ma.htm

Please see the link under "Supporting Documents" section (to the right) of this page to view Massachusetts Senator Ryan Fattman's announcement of the $500,000 MassTrails grant awarded to the Town of Southbridge.

Acknowledgments:
Southbridge Trail Committee current and past members
Grand Trunk Association
Town of Southbridge
Michael F. McCall; Town Manager
Peg (Margaret) Dean, MPA; CDBG/ Economic Dev Coord, Economic Development & Planning Department
Heather Blakeley; Director of Public Works
Eric Rumsey; Town Planner & Conservation Agent
Michael Brunelle; Recreation Director
Town Council
John L. Daniel, Chair
David S. Adams, Vice Chair
Joseph F. Cotrona
Joseph E. Daou
John D. Jovan
Scott S. Lazo
Michael J. Marketti
Jacquelyn M. Ryan
George P. Steeves
Planning and Development Subcommittee
David S. Adams, Chair, Council Member
Joseph E. Daou, Council Member
Scott S. Lazo, Council Member
Catherine Bernardone, Citizen Member
Delores LaRochelle, Citizen Member
BSC Staff
Jef Fasser, RLA, AICP; Project Manager
Bill Paille, PE; Transportation Engineer
Rachel Salch, PLA; Landscape Architect
Jeanette Tozer, AICP; Senior Planner
Matt Burne, PWS; Senior Ecologist