Community Corner
Farmington River Trail from Route 44 to Collinsville Officially Opens
Gov. Malloy cuts the ribbon opening a new section of the trail.
On Thursday morning, a glorious one for bicycling, several enthusiasts took a trek on the new stretch of the Farmington River Trail in Canton.
Their ride followed a grand opening of the 1.8-mile paved trail that runs between the Route 44/Route 177 juncture to Collinsville, where a view of the Farmington River awaits.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made his first official appearance in Canton for the event, which drew about 100 people. He had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the trailhead, where a resting area sits adjacent to busy Route 44.
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“This is one ‘cut’ everyone won’t mind you making,” state Sen. Kevin Witkos quipped in the remarks he made prior to the ribbon-cutting. “It has 100 percent support.”
Canton First Selectman Richard Barlow introduced the governor, thanking him and several other state, municipal and trail organization officials for attending the event.
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“This will be the first time I’ve ridden the trail in 50 years, and that was by horse,” he said, referring to the former Central New England Railroad corridor where the trail was built.
“It’s great to be with all of you and it’s great to support the trails,” Malloy said.
Construction of the new trail, funded by federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), cost about $907,000.
“I’m happy that my predecessor allocated the funds,” Malloy said, thanking former Gov. M. Jodi Rell for allocating a portion of the ARRA funds received by the state to construction of the new trail section.
It is the last of three phases in a project offering a scenic biking and hiking byway along the banks of the river from Unionville to Collinsville and running through Farmington, Burlington and Canton. The Farmington River Trail, part of the Farmington Valley Greenway, also runs through Simsbury.
The governor also thanked the state Department of Transportation for its role in the project, and all those who had rallied for it.
“This was a home-grown effort,” he said.
In addition to providing recreational opportunities, Malloy said, the trails built on the former rail lines offer health benefits. The exercise involved with walking or biking the trails helps fight the battle against obesity, which has become epidemic, especially in children.
“The trails also bind people together and invite people to come into the community,” he said.
Noting that a lot of people in the crowd were “a little strangely dressed,” referring to the form-fitting bicycle shorts worn by some, Malloy said that although he decided not to wear a suit for the event, he didn’t care to go that casual. Eyeing the bicycling outfit that state Sen. Kevin Witkos was wearing, the governor said he wouldn’t have looked as good in that type of gear as the state senator did.
“It’s great to see people on the trails across multi-generations – kids with backpacks, grandparents, in-line skaters, bicyclists, walkers and joggers,” Witkos said in his remarks. “The trails are seen as a social avenue, a place to make friends.”
He mentioned that after a trail was built over the river in Collinsville, business at local shops boomed, with many people stopping to get a bite to eat.
“At LaSalle Market, I met a couple from Cheshire who had biked up,” state Rep. Tim LeGeyt said in his comments.
“I hope this is the first of many visits you make to our community,” the representative told Malloy. “This is a small example of what all levels of government can do working together.”
Other local officials present for the opening included Burlington First Selectman Cathy Bergstrom and Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman.
Government officials were not the only ones involved with the trail project. The Capitol Region Council of Governments had a role as well as several trails organizations, including the Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC) and the East Coast Greenway.
FVTC President R. Bruce Donald also addressed the assembly. He said that going from the ideological stage to the completion of the Farmington River Trail was a long timeline.
“A whole generation of elected officials, town staff and others worked on the project,” he said. “But Canton and Collinsville never forgot; they always wanted it. This section is the lynchpin for the river trail. It will provide innumerable people with recreation but will also affect transportation and economic issues.”
Donaldson thanked everyone for coming, and cited Simsbury resident Steve Mitchell, who is on the board of the East Coast Greenway – a trail system linking cities along the Atlantic seaboard from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida – for all he has done to advance bicycling.
The greenway’s proposed 196-mile route through Connecticut will join the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Simsbury and follow it south to New Haven.
The Farmington River Trail links to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail at points in Farmington and Simsbury and for much of its length runs along the banks of the Farmington River, tracing the route of the old “canal line” railroad.
There are still gaps to fill in the Heritage Trail, Donaldson said. They are in Cheshire, northern Southington, all of Plainville and southern Farmington.
Following the ceremony, he said that the rail trails are “jewels of the communities they’re in, not only for recreation, but also for living.”
According to studies that have been done on the subject, there is a direct rise in real estate prices for homes that are along the trails, Donaldson said.
That’s one of the economic benefits; another is bringing in tourism, he said. And when people actually use the trail system for commuting, that cuts down on vehicle emissions.
“Every little bit helps,” Donaldson said.
He also spoke of the geographic range of people who use rail trails in the state. When the Suffield leg of the trail was paved and ready to open, he met a family who arrived there for a ride.
“They were from England and somehow heard about it,” Donaldson said. “It’s amazing that the trails are not just used by local residents.”
Bicyclists who want to ride from the new trail in Canton to Route 10 in Simsbury can cross Route 44 and head up Lawton Road, he said. The route is primarily on-road riding but some of it is unpaved. The railroad beds in that area were lost years ago when adjacent residents bought rights of way to the property where the abandoned lines were located, so there are no rail trails on the route, he added.
Also present for the event were representatives of Milone & MacBroom, the engineereing and landscape architecture firm that worked on both the design and inspection of the project. In addition to the trail itself, they designed the trailhead rest area, which has a wooden arbor arching over a brick patio with two benches.
“Over 10 years ago we did the design for this,” said David W. Dickson, project manager/associate. “We never thought we’d see the day we’d get the money to do it. We’re thankful for the ARRA funds that made it possible.”
The survey for the project was done 14 years ago, said Thomas Balskus, Project Manager/associate.
The firm also worked on the trail that goes across the river in Collinsville from 1999-2000, he said.
“It was challenging, a 400-linear-foot pre-fabricated bridge, that was laid in place by a crane,” Balskus said.
“It’s great that we can bike to so many places now,” Canton resident Cora Mutch said. “It’s a nice thing for families.”
She and her family have taken the ride from Simsbury to Southwick, Mass., a section that was recently completed.
“To let you know how important this trail and bicycling is to me, my mother just died yesterday and I have a lot of things on my mind right now,” Rick Thibodeau of West Hartford said. “But we came and it felt good to be out on the trail.”
He and his wife, MaryEllen, bicycled to the event from home. They rode via Farmington Avenue from West Hartford to Farmington, went down Talcott Notch Road into Avon, connected to Waterville Road (Route 10) then to Old Farms Road and from there to Thompson Road and onto the rail trail, where they trekked through Unionville and Burlington to Collinsville. Then they headed up the new trail to routes 177/44.
“There were benches along the way,” Rick said. “It’s great; we need these interconnections.”
Husband and wife are members of the organization Bike Walk Connecticut, an advocacy and educational group that schedules events and lobbies for bike- and pedestrian-friendly laws.
Bicyclists returning from their trek to Collinsville said they enjoyed the ride.
“It was a wonderful ride, with the leaves blowing and the fresh air,” Bill Barnes of Avon said.
Cars stopped for them at the intersections with local roads, where flashing lights warn drivers, he said.
With bicycling becoming an increasing trend, Donaldson stressed how important it is for everyone to know the “rule of laws” that bicycles are actually cars.
“Now, there are legitimate safety issues,” he said. “Bicyclists are not pedestrians; they’re subject to the same rules as cars.”
Farmington is currently completing the final phase of the Farmington River Trail from the Route 4/Burlington Road parking area to the Burlington line. This section of trail will remain closed during construction, which has started; however the parking lot and access to the trail going south remains open. It is anticipated that construction will be completed in November.
For more information on the Farmington Valley Greenway and the Farmington Valley Trails Council, visit: fvgreenway.org.