BRUCE FREEMAN RAIL TRAIL PHASE 2C -
OFFICIAL GROUNDBREAKING JULY 14TH
CONCORD, MA — MassDOT and the Town of Concord invite the public to the official Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2C groundbreaking event scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 14th in West Concord. The event will be held at the northern end of the West Concord commuter parking lot between the Brookside Square development on Beharrell Street and the Concord Park Assisted Living facility. While walking, biking and car-pooling to the event is encouraged, parking is available at the commuter parking lot and at a small parking lot off Beharrell Street (with permission from the owners - signs will be posted indicating parking reserved for this event).
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) is a regional multi-use trail that exists in Lowell, Chelmsford and portions of Westford (Phase 1), is under construction in Westford, Carlisle, Acton and now Concord (Phase 2A and 2C) and is anticipated continuing through Sudbury and Framingham. The trail extends approximately 25 miles along the former New Haven branch of the Old Colony Railroad and is named in memory of former State Representative Bruce Freeman. Phase 2C is approximately 2.5 miles through Concord, extending from Commonwealth Ave. to Powder Mill Road. The bridge over Route 2, which will connect Phase 2A and 2C, is now being designed with state & federal construction funding available in Federal Fiscal Year 2019.
After nearly 30 years, from conceptual planning in 1987 to engineering assessment in 2005 and preliminary through final design (2008-2016), MassDOT awarded the $6.7 million contract for Phase 2C of the BFRT to D.W. White Construction earlier this year. The Contractor conducted initial pre-construction site walks with Town staff and MassDOT staff in April, with tree removal, clearing, installation of erosion controls and rail/tie removal taking place since that time. Replacement of the Powder Mill Road culvert is underway at the southern end of the trail. Construction will proceed over the next two years, after which another celebration will be in order!