Rail Trail Construction
Rail
Trail Costs
Property
Values and Economic Impact
Quality
of Life on the Rail Trail
The
Physical Properties of the
Rail Trail
The
Use of the Trail
The
Rail Trail & the Environment
Other
Questions
July 2007- Phase 2 Update Acton, Westford, Carlisle
July 2007 - Phase 2 Update Concord
Prior to the start of active construction, utility lines are marked,
wetlands are flagged, the limits of clearing are marked, and erosion
control measures are installed. The Resident Engineer and Contractor
will also walk the site to become acquainted with it.
Notification of the start of construction typically appears in the
newspapers. There may be press releases announcing the award of a
construction contract and media coverage of a groundbreaking ceremony.
Abutters are typically not notified individually about the start of
construction. As a courtesy, the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail
Trail is notifying individual abutters in Phase 1 by postcard.
To be safe, your personal items of value should be moved onto your
own property, beyond the railroad right-of-way. Although the rail
trail will be only 14 feet wide (including shoulders), in some places
erosion controls will be installed close to the edge of the railroad
right-of-way. In other places, the rail trail will be constructed to
one side of the railroad right-of-way. If you have questions about
your specific property, please look at a copy of the design plans. If
you still have questions or concerns, contact the MassHighway Resident
Engineer.
The railroad right-of-way extends 10 meters (about 33 feet) to
either side of the centerline of the railroad track. The property line
is shown on the design plans.
The design plans for Phase 1 are available for public viewing at the
Town Engineers' offices in Westford and Chelmsford. The staff there
will be able to help you find your property and help you with reading
the plans.
Active construction involves the use of heavy construction
equipment. In Phase 1, active construction will begin with clearing
and grubbing (trees and roots are removed from the area where the path
will be constructed).
Please see the construction information page. In Phase 1,
construction is a two-year project expected to complete in August 2009.
For Phase 1, active construction will start in the vicinity of
Chelmsford and Lowell. Clearing and grubbing will be followed by
removal of the rails and ties. Please see the construction information
page for up-to-date information.
Please see the construction information page. We suggest that
abutters remove any personal property of value from the right-of-way
well in advance of construction work reaching their neighborhood. The
contractor will remove and discard items that are in the path of
construction on short notice.
We ask that you stay away from areas with active construction. Once
the construction begins on the trail it is classified as a work zone.
Incursions by the general public will be regarded as a safety hazard
and you will be asked to leave. In addition, activity on the trail
surface after it has been graded may require it to be re-graded,
unnecessarily adding delay and cost to the project.
Motorized vehicles will not be permitted on the trail, during or
after construction. Motorized vehicles crossing the work area can
damage the grading and require the surface to be re-graded. Also, be
aware that there are four bridges in Phase 1. When the rails and ties
are removed, there will be four gaps on the trail. No one wants to
deal with fishing injured people and equipment out of water.
Check the design plans (see information above about where to view the
design plans).
The purpose of this project is to construct a multi-use trail within
an existing railroad right-of-way. It is not to landscape abutters'
backyards at state and federal expense. Recognizing that some abutters
may want some screening, individual abutters in Phase 1 were
interviewed prior to completion of the preliminary (25%) design to find
out their concerns. The design team then made recommendations based on
the concerns aired and the physical layout of the property. Shrubbery
and fencing were then added to the design. Abutters had further
opportunity to comment on the design during public hearings for the 25%
and 75% designs. In some cases, the property has changed hands since
the original interviews and public hearings. If you have questions
about what is planned for your property, please review the design
plans.
Changes can incur additional cost and will be evaluated in that light.
If a change is warranted, you will have a choice of either fencing or
shrubbery, but not both. Also, please be aware that for Phase 1 the
fencing will be vinyl coated chain link fencing. Stockade fencing is
not offered as an option because it is too expensive. Also, note that
trees will be removed to make room for installation of fencing and
fencing can impede the movement of wildlife. If you still want to
request a change, you should contact the Resident Engineer.
Shrubbery and fencing are installed after other construction work is
complete. If the shrubbery and fencing are installed sooner, they may
become damaged by the construction equipment. For Phase 1,
construction is expected to take two years. Although permanent fencing
will not be installed until the end of construction, temporary
barriers, probably fencing, will be installed at road intersections
during construction to restrict access by unauthorized vehicles.
For Phase 1, the trail consists of a 10 foot wide paved surface with 2
foot wide shoulders on each side. The clearing width is wider than the
width of the rail trail to accommodate construction equipment.
Additional clearing is performed at road intersections to improve
crossing safety. Finally, the large amount of clearing around bridges
is required for widening the bridges and installing safety features
such as railing and curbing. In addition to clearing for the trail
itself, a 5 foot wide area is cleared where fencing will be installed.
The Special Provisions for Phase 1 instruct the contractor to minimize
impact on the surrounding areas.
Landscape plantings will be installed at road intersections and in some
other cleared areas. Vegetation will fill back in to the 14 foot trail
and shoulder width elsewhere.
The trees are shredded on-site. The shredded trees are transported to a
processing plant where they are shredded one more time, dyed black or
red, and resold as landscaping mulch.
An excavator with a grapple is used to remove most trees, a forwarder
is used to move the trees to where they will be shredded, and a grinder
is used for shredding the trees. To reduce impact on the surrounding
areas, chainsaws may also be used in some areas for removing trees and
branches.
The rails, ties, and beams or concrete deck are removed. When beams
were used for the bridge instead of concrete, the top row of granite
block is removed. The bridge abutments and wingwalls are preserved, as
long as they are in good condition. Attempts will be made to shield the
water from falling debris and quickly remove any debris that does fall
into the water.
The rails and ties are removed. The rails are steel and can be sold.
The ties are taken to a hazardous waste disposal facility.
The former Framingham to Lowell Rail Line has two segments. The
state of Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation EOT
owns the rail bed north of the east-west crossing (the Mass.
Central Rail Trail) just north of Route 20 in Sudbury to the
CrossPoint Towers in Lowell (the former Wang Towers). The rail
bed south of the crossing is owned by CSX, the railroad company.
Acquisition and construction for Phase 1 of the BFRT in Lowell,
Chelmsford and Westford have been fully funded by the state and federal government. The
right of way for Phase 2 is owned by the state Executive Office
of Transportation and will be leased or sold to the towns at no
cost or token cost (e.g. $1). The right of way for Phase 3 is owned
by CSX and the acquisition cost is unknown. More information will
be known as negotiations begin with CSX.
In 2007, the state budgeted $5.8 million, including management
overhead, for constructing Phase 1, a 6.8 mile section. This works out
to an average cost of about $853,000 per mile. Acton and Concord had
engineering estimates performed that show that the average cost will
run about $1,000,000 per mile, due to major bridge work and road
crossings.
The construction costs for Phases 2 and 3 may vary quite a bit
from community to community. Rail trail costs can vary, based on
the ease of construction or if there are special needs such as
building bridges, highway crossings or other special structures.
Concord will require two bridges – one across the Assabet
River and one across Route 2. Acton will require six brook crossings and a crossing of Rt 2A/119.
One of the goals of the town-funded engineering studies is to get
an estimate of these costs.
The process of establishing a rail trail is a long one so the expenses
will be spread over a long period of time. The near-term cost is
the required engineering studies that will cost around $25,000
per town. Acton has already paid for and completed its study.
Engineering studies have been completed for Acton and Concord. During summer 2006, a study is underway for the Town of Sudbury.
If proper procedures are followed and the rail trail is constructed
under the federal transportation enhancements program, each town
will pay between 10% and 20% of the total of the costs of the engineering
studies, land acquisition, design and construction. All of the
upfront costs up to the "25% Design" level will be the
responsibility of the towns. The state will pay up to 10% of the
cost and the remaining 80% will be paid through federal transportation
funds.
The towns may choose to pay for their fraction of the costs directly
through local taxes. For towns that have passed the Community Preservation
Act, the town’s fraction may come from CPA funds without
an impact on the tax rate. FBFRT fundraising also can contribute
to the costs.
A rail trail is part of the total transportation package. The Commonwealth
is promoting alternative transportation methods to help ease traffic
congestion and promote the health and welfare of it citizens. The
rail trail process is a long one so there will be little draw on
the state at this point. The only short-term cost to the state
will be the assignment of staff to further the rail-trail approval
and design process.
The Federal transportation act sets aside a certain fraction of
the total transportation funds to be used only for transportation “enhancements” that
do not involve motorized transportation. A large fraction of the
funds for rail trails have come out of the enhancement set-asides.
These funds cannot be used for roads and motorized-vehicle bridges
The local communities will pay the costs for maintenance. A typical
lease agreement includes the assumption of maintenance costs
by the local communities. These maintenances costs have proven
to be minimal for most rail trails.
The state has often picked up the costs for such things. In some
towns, utilities have leased the rail bed and installed things
such as fiber optics. The leases have helped pay for major improvements.
The local communities will continue to be responsible for policing
the rail bed as they have in the past. Typical lease agreements
will obligate the town to take care of policing. The typical experience
is that policing costs for a rail trail are quite small and are
usually incorporated in the normal budgets for police departments
with little overall change. Some towns have put policemen on bicycles
as part of normal patrolling of streets and public areas. These
bicycle officers patrol trails as part of their normal duties.
Trail users will provide a high degree of self-policing of the
trail. The rail bed has long sight lines so that anyone up to mischief
on the trail will be very visible.
The communities will face the same liability as they currently
have for accidents on the roads, sidewalks, recreation areas and
conservation areas. These liability costs are usually minimal and
are capped by statute.
On average, no. Studies have been done for other trails, showing slight increases in the average value of abutting and nearby properties. A long list of detailed studies of existing rail trails are available through our web site.
The assessment process will be the same as always. It is unlikely
that your assessment will go down because of the rail trail. The
experience on most existing rail trails is that property values
along a rail trail either hold steady or go up after the trail
is constructed. If a significant decrease in property value can
be documented, the homeowner can appeal to the Board of Assessors.
Many Realtors promote house sales by noting the proximity to a
rail trail.
Retail businesses near the rail trail should benefit slightly because
of increased traffic. Property values are anticipated to go up
because of the existence of the trail. Note that according to a 2000 National Association of Home Builders Survey of what active adults and older seniors want in their communities, walking and jogging trails ranked #1. See http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=6145
This is a common fear before a trail is built, but after a trail
is built most abutters are happy to live near it. A number of studies
that have sought the reactions of trail neighbors. If desired by
the abutter, a fence can be erected as part of the trail construction
funds, at no cost to the abutter. The Lowell-Chelmsford-Westford
section is using vinyl-coated chain link fencing for this. As an alternative to a fence, shrubbery can be planted to provide
screening. With other trails, the experience has been that many
abutters who have had fencing installed later remove the fencing
because it is unnecessary and blocks their own access to the trail!
Several large studies of rail trails have revealed that neighbors
become the most frequent users of the trails. It is also worthwhile to
note that trees may need to be removed to install fencing and that
certain types of fencing can impede the movement of wildlife.
Most trail users will use designated parking areas. In some cases
parking facilities are designed into the plans. In other cases nearby
municipal facilities already exist or agreements can be negotiated with
commercial property owners. Residents often want "No Parking" signs to
prevent non-residents from parking in their neighborhood. However, the
signs apply to the residents and their guests as well as to others.
Consequently, signs should be posted only when it becomes clear that
they are needed. Alert your Town officials if parking becomes a
persistent issue on your street and request that your Town officials
identify additional parking areas to help alleviate the problem.
Contact the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail for additional
assistance with this issue.
This is unlikely. The trail has frequent road crossings so that
it is easy for trail users to get on and off the trail without
going through private property. Trespassing on adjacent private
property has not been a problem on the heavily used Minuteman Trail.
If you have specific concerns, please contact us so we can help
make sure that those concerns are included into planning and design
phases of the project.
Interviews with abutters are held early in the design process to
solicit their concerns. Shrubbery and fencing are then added to the
design requirements as needed to address those
concerns. Abutters are often required to choose between fencing and
shrubbery. They may be allowed to choose the type of shrubbery from a
list provided by the designer. The final design reflects those
requirements and specifications. Once the design is complete, changes
can be made under certain conditions. However, such changes may
introduce additional cost to the project and will be evaluated in that
light. Please contact us if you have specific concerns or questions.
The only motorized vehicles allowed on the trail would be emergency
vehicles, maintenance vehicles and motorized wheel chairs. Other
motorized vehicles definitely will not be allowed. Anyone caught
would be subject to a fine. The experience on other rail trails
has been that trail users and trail neighbors have a keen interest
in keeping motorized vehicles off the trails. The few incidents
that have occurred have been immediately reported and dealt with.
Bollards at the intersection of the trail with roads will also
provide a physical deterrent to motorized vehicles on the trail.
About the only noise from the trail will be the voices of those
using the trail. Screening shrubbery may help suppress this noise.
Many rail trails have accommodated both equestrians and other users
such as walkers and cyclists. Such mixed use is best accommodated
where there is a separate unpaved path alongside the prepared (paved
or stone dust) trail. This should be possible in a multi-mile section
of Acton where the right-of-way is double wide because of dual
track configuration. Unfortunately, much of the Bruce Freeman Trail
is on a single width right-of-way on a raised rail bed through
wetlands so there probably isn’t room for a second unpaved
parallel path. Horses can cause considerable deterioration to a
stone dust path so riding on such a path may be discouraged. Riding
on a paved path is less desirable for equestrians, but may well
be accommodated. Equestrians would likely want to avoid using the
path when it is heavily used by walkers and cyclists.
Not much litter is expected along the trail. The kinds of people
who use the trail are generally people who appreciate the outdoors
and respect it. Litter has not been a problem along the trails
we are most familiar with in this area: e.g. the Minuteman and
Battle Road. Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail will undoubtedly
organize clean-ups.
No, the experience from other trails is that crime is less frequent
on a rail trail than it was on the abandoned railway before the
trail was built. The self-policing nature of a rail trail helps
suppress crime. The most frequent crime along rail trails is
an occasional bicycle theft.
The local police departments will be responsible, just as they
are now for the unused railway.
A feasibility study of the Sudbury to Lowell rail trail (Phases
1 and 2) was done in 1987 by the Central Transportation Planning
Staff (CTPS. CTPS is staff to the Metropolitan Planning Organization.)
The conclusion was that a trail is feasible,
but there are some logistical problems in Concord and Acton.
Acton completed their own more comprehensive feasibility
engineering study in January 2004 and concluded a rail trail
was feasible. It noted the biggest concern as the crossing
of Rte 2A (Great Road). In Concord, the significant problems are a crossing of Rt 2 and the
replacement of a bridge over
the Assabet River in West Concord. In January 2005, a feasibility
study of Phase 3 is underway by the CTPS.
The standard width for a rail trail is 10 to 12 feet of firm surface
with appropriate shoulders on each side. About half of existing
rail trails have paved surfaces. Such a surface accommodates the
widest range of users and is the lowest cost to maintain. However,
other surfaces may be considered such as stone dust. These surfaces
sometimes cost more than paving and may have higher maintenance
costs. The portion of the Bruce Freeman Trail in Lowell, Chelmsford
and Westford (Phase 1) will have a 10-foot-wide paved surface.
Maybe not; the towns’ sidewalks and foot trails do not need
restrooms. If found to be desirable, portable facilities can be
provided at some parking areas as in done along the Nashua River
Rail Trail.
Probably not. An unplowed trail would be available for snowshoeing
and cross-country skiing.
Standard trail designs usually use bollards along with such things
as striping and signs to warn trail users of an upcoming intersection.
The road crossing itself is usually striped much like a standard
pedestrian crossing. There will be signs on the road to warn drivers.
For particularly dangerous and heavily used intersections, a button-activated
crossing light may be considered.
Cyclists will certainly be one of the largest groups of users.
However, a rail trail is meant as a community path that
accommodates all kinds of users. In many communities, walkers
are the largest users of rail trails. In the winter, cross-country
skiers use the trails. Well-trained cyclists who log lots
of miles at high speeds are unlikely to use the rail trail.
Such cyclists generally prefer to use the roads. The
cycling users of the rail trails are more likely to be
families with children, recreational users and commuters.
The Minuteman Bikeway has become a very popular and heavily
used rail trail. It runs through a heavily populated area
and provides a direct route in and out of Alewife Station,
a terminus of the Red Line. The usage of
the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail likely will be a lot
less because the towns through which it runs are more rural
and farther separated from dense urban areas. The trail likely
will have some use as a commuting route, but the destinations
along the trail are many fewer than for the Minuteman Trail.
We do anticipate that the Bruce Freeman Trail will provide
a wonderful route to bicycle or walk from many homes to the
shopping and recreational areas. The BFRT will provide an
attractive means for getting to the railroad commuter station
in West Concord.
We don’t know how many people will drive to the trail from
out of town, but because of its length, it is expected that many
people would start from points other than the trail ends points.
The parking areas are accessed by major roads, so that the additional
traffic impact should be slight. Appropriate parking areas and
access points will be part of the planning process.
Parking will be addressed by the engineering studies and again
in the design phases. It may be possible to work out agreements
for parking with shopping centers and other facilities close
to the rail trail who would welcome the extra commercial traffic
generated by the rail trail.
The general procedures for identifying and mitigating contamination
along rail trails have been worked out. As part of the negotiated
lease or purchase agreements between the towns and the current
owners of the rail bed, contamination liabilities will be addressed.
Like any construction project, the construction of the rail
trail will have to pass the approval of the town boards,
especially the Conservation Commissions and State and Federal
Agencies. Construction techniques and mitigation will be
done with the boards’ guidance and approval. In most
cases, filling of wetlands can be avoided. Where the flat
surface on the top of a rail bed through wetlands needs to
be widened for a rail trail, soil can be removed to obtain
adequate width.
The rails have a salvage value. CSX has removed the rails and ties
in their section of the BFRT. Because ties were treated with creosote,
they will have to be disposed of through special arrangements.
Any residual contamination of the rail bed due to the creosote
will be dealt with as part of the approval, design and construction
process.
There are a number of reports available from various city and state
agencies summarizing the impact of rail trails on property values,
crime, privacy, quality of life, etc. Some of these are on the
web and we can give you the web addresses. We can send you copies
of other studies that are available only in hard copy form. Arrangements
are being made to place the majority of these studies on the web.
It’s a volunteer group of residents who support the rail
trail and want to make the trail the best it can be both for users
and for those who live near it. Anyone is welcome to join.
Yes. One way is by joining the efforts of the local Friends
of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Some of the communities
have established official committees to address rail trail
issues. These committees solicit community input and their
meetings are open to the public. Leasing or sale of the
rail bed, funding of the preliminary design and funding of
the construction will all have to go through town boards
and town meeting. During the various design phases, there
will be hearings to review and iterate designs. We encourage
you to participate in the FBRFT of on your own.
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