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Temporary Closures on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail behind the Chelmsford Mall, at Manahan Street in Chelmsford, will be closed at times during a two week period beginning August 1.

Demolition of the Town-owned building located on Katrina Road, adjacent to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 1.

For safety considerations, including dust from the debris, the section of the rail trail adjacent to the building will be closed during portions of the demolition work. The closures will impact trail users wishing to use the section of trail between Manahan Street and Glen Avenue during the work week. This section is in the portion of the trail north of Chelmsford Center and south of the Route 3 terminus. The trail is expected to be open on weekends.

This is the section of trail that will be closed:

View Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Temporary Closure in a larger map

The building demolition process is expected to be completed within 7-14 days depending upon weather and site conditions.

For more information, contact:

Cynthia McLain
PO Box 202
Chelmsford, MA 01824
978-726-0864
cmclain@townofchelmsford.us

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Opens August 29th, 2009

After more than 20 years of waiting and planning, the 6.8-mile section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Cross Point Towers in Lowell to Route 225 in Westford will open on Saturday, August 29!

Details for Saturday, August 29, 2009

• 10:00 a.m. - Ribbon Cutting and Cake Cutting Celebration, Old Town Hall & Chelmsford Common
• 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Trail Activities, including a barbecue (with hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks, for $1 each) at Agway on Maple Road in South Chelmsford

Parking
Parking for the event will be available in Chelmsford Center at Old Town Hall and the Sovereign Bank municipal parking lot, and at Byam School on Maple Road in South Chelmsford.

The ceremony will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit http://www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org/ribboncutting , check out the trail map, or read the Chelmsford Independent article and Boston Globe article.

UPDATE 8/28/09:

Despite the forecast of rain, the celebration of the opening of the first section of the trail will take place on Saturday, August 29 as scheduled. All of the festivities will be moved indoors to Chelmsford's Old Town Hall which sits across Route 4 from the common. The celebration will start promptly at 10 am.

Come enjoy the cake, ice cream, free water bottles, and the camaraderie of the many who have looked forward to the beginning of the rail trail. Visit the 20 trail and community groups who will have booths inside Old Town Hall. Get your trail map so that you can enjoy the trail when it stops raining.

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

In case you haven't heard, a bike trail is being built through Chelmsford.

The construction in Chelmsford is part of Phase One of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, which will ultimately go through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, Sudbury and Framingham. Phase One starts at the Lowell/Chelmsford line near Cross Point, and will follow the old rail line through Chelmsford Center to the the intersection of Routes 27 and 225 in Westford.

Construction information and trail maps are available on the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail website. They also have planning information for the rest of the trail, and a link to the MassHighway project website which reports on construction status. This Friends group has been working on the trail with State and Local officials for many years, and is always open to new members.

A recent Boston Globe article outlined some of the issues surrounding the trail. There have also been many articles in the Chelmsford Independent and the newspapers of other communities along the line. And to see exactly where the trail will go, there is an interactive map available that overlays the trail route on street maps and aerial photography.

Phase One of the trail is scheduled to be completed in August 2009. Visit the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail website for more information.