Central Mass could get a big money boost from a proposed rail trail. Will it happen?
Henry Schwan | Telegram & Gazette | May 30, 2023
An old railroad line could bring public health benefits and an economic boost to the tune of the millions of dollars to parts of Central Massachusetts, if it’s ever finished.
It’s all detailed in a new report that delves into converting the former Central Massachusetts Railroad that shut down in the early 1900s into a 104-mile bicycle and pedestrian path that runs from Boston to Northampton.
The work will be a challenge, according to studies done by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. However, the state is taking a hard look at the project.
How much will it cost?
One of the so-called elephants in the room is how much it will all cost and who will pay for it. State transportation officials aren’t ready to give a price tag after conducting feasibility studies.
“Please note the feasibility study did not address potential construction costs so MassDOT can’t speculate on what the cost would be to complete the sections,” said an email from a state Department of Transportation.
5M trail users/$180M yearly
The $75,000 study released this month, paid for by the nonprofit Norwottuck Network, showed linking the disjointed pieces in the trail would bring an additional 5 million recreation users annually and improved health would cut health costs nearly $6 million yearly.
On the business side, the report said economic activity would top out at more than $180 million yearly, with more than half that amount spent by trail users. Plus, more than 1,000 jobs would be added in communities along the trail.
Connecting the trail has been an ongoing effort for more than 40 years, said an email from Craig Della Penna, president of the Norwottuck Network Board of Directors. Currently, 55 miles of the 104-mile stretch is open to the public in several disjointed pieces, according to Della Penna. In three years, it will be 75 miles.
Complicated work
Now that state transportation officials concluded the trail can be connected entirely, according to Della Penna, those same officials believe it won’t be easy. The word Della Penna used is “complicated,” because the trail has a mix of landowners – both public and private – and those properties need to be joined in a continuous trail.
“Complicated means expensive,” stated Della Penna in an email, who noted money to finish the job could come from federal, state and local sources, and the private sector.
Obstacles remain
Besides the 55 miles open, 20 more are in the planning or construction phase. Obstacles include no bridges over some waterways, private lands that need to be sold and repairs to a 1,000-foot tunnel near the Wachusett Reservoir.
Links to other trials are a possibility, creating a 273-mile network inside Massachusetts.
“There are no negatives,” said Della Penna in a prepared statement. “Tourism is the third-largest industry in the state. A completed trail would allow people to bike right out of their neighborhood and explore the state in a way they’ve never been able to do before.”
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