The CT Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/tag/farmington-canal-heritage-trail/)
For more than two decades, most of the new multi-use trails built in the state were almost entirely the work of local volunteers. In the past five years, however, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his transportation commissioner, James Redeker, have turned that narrative on its head. The state is now including non-motorized trails in its planning efforts and making major investments in them. Continue Reading →
The Connecticut Department of Transportation marked a milestone Tuesday as the state Bond Commission authorized $8.3 million in bicycle and pedestrian projects, including $5.1 million to construct a missing piece of the New Haven-to-Northampton, Mass., bicycle trail in Farmington. For the first time, the state is paying to construct a bike trail, the beginning of an annual commitment of $11.2 million. Continue Reading →
At the opening of a new 1.8-mile stretch of bicycle trail in Canton, a longtime rails-to-trails advocate welcomed the presence of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his acting transportation commissioner, James P. Redeker, as a milestone in a long struggle. “Five years ago, it never would have happened,” said R. Bruce Donald, the president of the Farmington Valley Trails Council, the non-profit advocacy group that has been both partner and critic of the DOT as it pushed for what is now a nearly complete 29.5-mile loop trail. Work on the long-delayed segment of the Farmington River Trail suddenly began after the DOT redirected soon-to-expire federal stimulus funds to a project that had no other ready prospects for financing. With the contractors hungry for work, it came in under budget at $900,000. A ribbon cutting and a milestone. Continue Reading →