The Wayside Rail Trail on the Central Mass. Rail Line
1868-1998

While the quest for Belmont support continues, trail proponents are beginning to make plans to seek funding necessary for the design of this 25-mile rail trail. The Wayside Rail Trail goes through some beautiful New England town centers and countryside and should prove to be a valuable transportation and recreation resource for the region. Some have projected that the trail could be completed by 2002. Possible future extensions beyond Belmont could link up with the Minuteman Bikeway at Alewife.

Some History

The cost to develop the Wayside Rail Trail (estimated at $6 million) will be funded by federal and state sources, some dedicated specifically to bicycle and pedestrian projects. Municipalities will maintain and patrol the rail trail within town borders once it is built. These costs are quite modest - less than $1 per resident per year.

Chronology of the Approval Process

1997:

• April 7The CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING STAFF (a regional transportation planning agency) has completed an extensive study which concluded that it is feasible to convert the eastern portion (Waltham to Berlin) of the abandoned Central Mass. Line to a rail trail.

• April 16SUDBURY town meeting voted to endorse the rail trail. At the end of Dan Buttner's presentation of the Rail Trail article, one of the selectmen congratulated Dan on his ten years of effort as head of Sudbury's bicycle committee and on his considerable recent efforts on planning for the Wayside Rail Trail as representative on the feasibility study. When the final vote was taken, the count was overwhelmingly positive. Of the several hundred residents at the town meeting, roughly a dozen voted in opposition.

• May 1 WAYLAND became the second town along the proposed Trail to endorse the project. Like Sudbury before it, Wayland's endorsement came in the form of a Town Meeting vote. There was even less opposition, and the resulting vote was even more one-sided. Approximately 150 residents voted in favor, 1 opposed. The rail trail proposal marked a refreshing change in atmosphere from an otherwise contentious town meeting. Little debate was required.

• May 7 BERLIN town meeting voted to support the Wayside Rail Trail. Preston Turner, Berlin's representative to the feasibility study, fielded a number of questions. An amendment to require no pavement and set the maximum trail width at 5 feet was proposed and failed. This article sparked the most debate of any issue at Town Meeting. In the end, it passed 75 to 25, with no amendments.

• May 19 The HUDSON Board of Selectmen gave their unanimous approval for the development of the Wayside Rail Trail. The Trail will be an excellent complement to the already-approved Assabet River Rail Trail. In fact, the two projects are expected to share 2 miles of trail through Hudson. The two projects will give Hudson residents valuable east-west (Wayside) and north-south (Assabet) trail corridors.

• May 21 WESTON Town Meeting voters gave their approval to proceed with the Trail, pending the outcome of a report by a committee which was due in 6 months. The meeting was quite gripping, with many spirited presentations for and against and the outcome not at all clear until the votes were counted. The vote was 228 in favor to 131 opposed. Congratulations are due to the Weston Coordinator for the Wayside Rail Trail Committee, Kate Detwiler, who gave an excellent presentation and built the grass roots support that made for the successful outcome. Many others contributed to the successful outcome including Ken Hablow, Selectman Joe Mullin, David Conna, Kim & Mark Reichelt, Cathy Buckley Lewis, and Waltham City Councillor Michael O'Halloran.

• May 22 BELMONT held a public meeting on the Wayside Rail Trail at the High School. The Belmont Bikeway Committee, working in partnership with the Wayside Rail Trail Committee, gave an excellent presentation, including an architect's rendition of the proposed trail. An organized group of abutters attended the meeting to express their concerns -- winning few points with their shrill and strident approach. Action by the Board of Selectmen will follow in the coming weeks or month(s). The trail is somewhat more complicated in Belmont because it would potentially share the rail corridor with the active Fitchburg line. There are other constraints as well, such as some portions of the corridor now in private hands. It is hoped and expected that the Belmont Selectmen will join with the other six Wayside Rail Trail communities in moving into the design phase this Spring. If you live in Belmont, please contact the Town Selectmen and let them know you'd like them to support the project.

• June 2 and 9 The WALTHAM Community Development Committee of the Waltham City Council gave its unanimous approval to submit the Wayside Rail Trail proposal to the full Waltham City Council. On June 9th, the Council unanimously approved the Wayside Rail Trail proposal.

• December 8 At a WESTON Special Town Meeting, over 1100 people showed up to vote on just one article,approval of the Trail. The article went down to defeat by 698 to 410. Despite this vote, the Trail will proceed in the other communities along the 25-mile route from Waltham to Berlin. For more information, read this Mass Cyclist article. The majority (against the Trail) and minority (for the Trail> reports of the Weston committee appointed to study the trail are available online.

1997:

• June 1, 1998 The BELMONT Board of Selectmen voted to participate in the Wayside Rail Trail, a 25.5 mile multi-use trail that will go from Alewife Station in Cambridge to Berlin. The Belmont Selectmen indicated that they intend to look at several possible routes through Belmont during the design phase of the project to ensure user safety given the proximity of the trail to the active Fitchburg rail line.

The non-participation of Weston in the project has led to questions about whether the project will proceed. The answer is YES. As noted in the application for state funding, "Trail users interested in making the connection between Waltham and Wayland would be free to use the existing road network as per state law. If Weston is interested in participating at some time in the future, this could be accomplished as a second phase of the project."

If you live in one of these communities, you can make a difference. Make sure you attend meetings where the rail trail proposal will be considered. Contact your local newspaper and elected officials - and don't forget to enlist the support of friends and neighbors. Continued support and involvement during the upcoming planning stages will be important to the realization of an excellent rail trail. Copies of an a brochure, complete with map, describing the Trail has been prepared by the Wayside Rail Trail Committee. Copies of this brochure can be obtained from Andy Greene (see below).

If you are interested in supporting the Wayside Rail Trail request for design funding, a letter of support can be sent to:

	Patrick J. Moynihan, Secretary
	Executive Office of Transportation and Construction
	10 Park Plaza, Room 3170
	Boston, MA  02116

The Wayside Rail Trail Committee

Regular individual membership $30
Family membership $40
Sponsor $100
Student/senior/low income $15

Kindly make you check payable to "Wayside Rail Trail Committee", and mail with your address and phone information to

Wayside Rail Trail Committee, Inc.
c/o Kim Reichelt, Treasurer
11 Coolidge Road
Wayland, MA 01778

-Richard Williamson williamson@ll.mit.edu June 11, 1997,
with updates by Doug Mink dmink@cfa.harvard.edu June 2, 1998

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