New Section of Farmington River Trail to Open Thursday

CANTON – For those who have noticed a new structure at the intersection of routes 44 and 177 near Best Cleaners, wonder no longer.

It’s the trailhead for a new stretch of the Farmington River Trail that runs from Old River Road in Collinsville to the 44/177 juncture. It officially opens Thursday, July 28 at 9 a.m. and the public is welcome to attend the ceremony.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, along with other state and local representatives, will be present to recognize the completion of Phase 3 of the Farmington River Trail (FRT) and to officially open the 1.8-mile stretch. 

First Selectman Richard Barlow will welcome those in attendance and introduce the governor, who will cut the ribbon and offer remarks. Also scheduled to speak are state Sen. Kevin Witkos, state Rep. Tim LeGeyt and Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC) President R. Bruce Donald.

Following refreshments, members of the public may join state and local officials as they ride or walk the trail, which provides an east-west bike and pedestrian connection between existing neighborhoods, two major shopping areas, and the municipal and historic centers of Canton in Collinsville.

Parking Thursday is courtesy of and available at Best Cleaners, 1 Lovely St., and Vincent Funeral Home, 120 Albany Turnpike.

“Everyone I have spoken to is happy that the trail is complete and looking forward to using it,” said Robert Skinner, Canton’s chief administrative officer.

Construction of the trail, funded by federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), cost approximately $907,000. It is the last of three phases in a project designed to offer a scenic biking and hiking byway along the banks of the river from one former mill town to another, Unionville to Collinsville, and running through the towns of Farmington, Burlington and Canton.

The entire 18-mile stretch was constructed along the former Central New England Railroad corridor. Phase 1was completed in 1999 and Phase 2 in 2004 as a co-operative venture of the three towns. Like the previous two phases, Phase 3 is a 10-foot-wide paved trail.

When completed, the Farmington River Trail will connect with the Farmington Valley Greenway in both Farmington and Simsbury to form a 26-mile loop.

The primary parking area for the Burlington/Canton portion of the trail is immediately south of the intersection of Routes 4 and 179 in Burlington.  Parking is also available in a rest area on Route 179 in Burlington just south of Burlington Avenue.

Burlington completed its last section of the trail from the parking lot at Routes 4 and 179 in the fall of 2010. 

Parking in Collinsville is available at the Town Hall on the corner of Route 179 (Bridge Street) and Main Street. On-street parking is available throughout downtown Collinsville.

In Unionville on the River Trail, there is a pavilion on Rte. 4 that was completed in 2008. It was a joint project of the FVTC, town of Farmington and the Rotary Club of Farmington, as was a pavilion dedicated this year in the trail parking lot at the corner of New Britain Avenue and Coppermine Road. Farmington Bank also helped fund the pavilion, which provides shelter and seating for trail users on bike or foot.

The Simsbury portion of the trail has parking available on Town Forest Road and at Stratton Brook State Park off of Route 309 during normal park hours.

Farmington is currently completing the final phase of the Farmington River Trail from the Route 4/Burlington Road parking area to the Burlington line. The cost will be about $707,000, with the town and state Department of Transportation supplying most of the money from previous projects’ surplus funds. 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. 

The FRT links to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (FCHT) 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. 

The FCHT includes more than 30 paved miles in Connecticut, stretching from New Haven to the Massachusetts border, and then continues into Massachusetts. The FHCT in Simsbury will ultimately join the East Coast Greenway, a trail system linking cities along the Atlantic seaboard form Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. 

Nearly 650 miles of the East Coast Greenway is on safe, traffic-free trails equaling 25 percent of the total mileage. The proposed 196-mile route through Connecticut will join the FCHT in Simsbury and follow it south to New Haven. For ECG progress reports visit their web site at www.greenway.org.