Welcome to the website for the Border to Boston Trail – Northern Section through the Towns of Boxford, Georgetown, Newbury and Salisbury, Massachusetts. Please check back often as this website will be updated as information on the project becomes available.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Border to Boston Trail has been in the works for over 15 years. During recent years, some Towns have prepared feasibility studies to further assess the key design issues along their section of corridor while others have constructed sections of trail. In 2007, a Border to Boston Trail Implementation Plan was published to establish a common vision and present a preliminary strategy for the project. This Plan was a joint effort of the Border to Boston ad-hoc coalition which included representatives from all eight Towns along the route – Salisbury, Newburyport, Newbury, Boxford, Georgetown, Topsfield, Wenham and Danvers, National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), Essex National Heritage Commission, and others. As documented in the Implementation Plan, the communities share the joint vision of creating a trail that will improve and diversify the region’s transportation infrastructure and connect local residents and visitors to a large number of diverse destinations.
At the current time, the communities of Boxford, Georgetown, Newbury and Salisbury, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) are advancing the design of the 19-mile Northern Section of the regional Border to Boston Trail. Although the Border to Boston Trail is MassDOT administered project, the completed project will ultimately become a continuous corridor of locally managed trail segments.
Utilizing a combination of former railroad corridor, utility right of way, and local roadways, the proposed project will connect trail segments that have been constructed in recent years – the Clipper City Rail Trail in Newburyport and the Old Eastern Marsh Trail in Salisbury. The 19-mile Northern Section is part of the larger Border to Boston Trail project which will ultimately link eight Essex County communities – Danvers, Wenham, Topsfield, Boxford, Georgetown, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury – along a 30-mile corridor.
As envisioned, this regional trail will connect areas of cultural, economic, social and natural significance along the multi-community corridor and provide a non-motorized transportation and recreational alternative for people of all ages and abilities.
TOWN BY TOWN DESCRIPTION
The proposed Border to Boston Trail – Northern Section project includes the 14.0 mile trail segment from the Topsfield/Boxford line to the southern terminus of the Clipper City Rail Trail in Newburyport and the 2.3 mile trail segment from the northern terminus of the Old EasternMarsh Trail in Salisbury to the New Hampshire border in Salisbury. The total length of theproposed project is 16.3 miles (9.5 miles off-road, 6.8 miles on-road). When completed, the Northern Section will connectfive towns – Boxford, Georgetown, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury –along a 19.1 mile trail corridor.
Boxford
The Boxford section of the Border to Boston Trail is approximately 4.3 miles. Of this length, 2.2 miles will be comprised of an off-road shared use trail facility and 2.1 miles will be an on-road facility along local roadways. The off-road project corridor is owned by National Grid and used for power distribution. The Town will need to negotiate a long term agreement with National Grid for use of the corridor for shared use trail development.
Georgetown
The Georgetown section of the Border to Boston Trail is approximately 4.5 miles. The entire 4.5 miles will be comprised of an off-road shared use trail facility. The off-road project corridor is owned by National Grid and used for power distribution. The Town will need to negotiate a long term agreement with National Grid for use of the corridor for shared use trail development.
Newbury
The Newbury section of the Border to Boston Trail is approximately 5.2 miles. Of this length, 0.7 miles will be comprised of an off-road shared use trail facility and 4.5 miles will be an on-road facility along local roadways. The off-road project corridor is owned by National Grid and used for power distribution. The Town will need to negotiate a long term agreement with National Grid for use of the corridor for shared use trail development.
Salisbury
The Salisbury section of the Border to Boston Trail is approximately 3.7 miles. In 2010, the 1.4 mile Old Eastern Marsh Trail was constructed between the Merrimack River and Mudnock Road. The remaining 2.3 miles will be comprised of a 2.1 mile off-road shared use trail facility and a 0.2 mile on-road facility along a local roadway. The Salisbury section includes the construction of a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge over U.S. Route 1. The Town secured a 99-year lease from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for use of the corridor for shared use trail development.
MEETINGS
September 7, 2011
B2B Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting #1
Georgetown Town Hall, 1 1 Library Street, Georgetown, MA
November 15, 2011
Public Information Meeting #1
Lincoln Hall, 564 Main Street, West Boxford, MA
DOCUMENTS
Border to Boston Trail Implementation Plan
January 2007
Georgetown Recreational Path Feasibility and Conceptual Design Study
July 2007
http://www.georgetownma.gov/Public_documents/georgetownma_webdocs/Feasibility%20&%20Conceptual%20Design%20Study.pdf
Boxford Trail Feasibility and Conceptual Design Study
April 2010
http://www.town.boxford.ma.us/images/boxford_recreational_trail_study_april_2010__web_version_.pdf
DESIGN SCHEDULE
June 2012 – Submit 25% Design
February 2013 – Submit 75% Design
June 2013 – Submit 100% Design
October 2013 – Submit Final Plans, Specs & Estimate
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have specific questions about the Border to Boston Trail – Northern Section project or would like to provide input to be considered during the design process, please contact Shawn Holland at the information below. Please be sure to include your Name, Address, Email and Telephone Number with your submission.
The MassDOT Project Manager can also be contacted at the following:
Shawn Holland, Project Manager
MassDOT – Highway Division
10 Park Plaza, Room 6340
Boston, MA 02116-3973
Email: shawn.holland@state.ma.us
Phone:(617) 973-7242
Your local project liaisons can be contacted at the following:
Boxford
Nancy Merrill, Chair, Boxford Border to Boston Committee
Email: nancymerrill@comcast.net
20 Cross Road, Boxford ,MA 01921
Georgetown
Jeffrey Wade, Chair, Georgetown RecPath Committee
Email: jwade@addinc.com
Town of Georgetown, Rec Path Committee, Town Hall, 1 Library Street, Georgetown, MA 01833
Newbury
Martha Taylor, Town Planner
Email: planningboard@town@townofnewbury.org
Phone: 978-465-0862 (x 312)
Newbury Town Hall, 25 High Road, Newbury, MA 01951
Salisbury
Lisa Pearson, Director of Planning and Development
Email: lpearson@salisburyma.gov
Phone: 978-463-2266
Salisbury Town Hall, 5 Beach Road, Salisbury MA 01952
10. RELATED WEBSITES
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/
MassDOT – GreenDOT Initiative
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/greendot.aspx
MassDOT – Bay State Greenway Implementation Plan
http://www.eot.state.ma.us/common/downloads/BayStateGreenway.pdf
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) Homepage
http://mvpc.org/
Town of Boxford
http://www.town.boxford.ma.us
Town of Georgetown
http://www.georgetownma.gov
Town of Newbury
http://www.townofnewbury.org
Town of Salisbury
http://www.salisburyma.gov
Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC)
