DOT: Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Extension, Town of Cheshire

The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (Department) Office of Engineering is currently developing plans to extend portions of a shared use path known as the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail through two locations in the Town of Cheshire. The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is a non-motorized transportation facility built on a historic rail corridor formally known as the Canal Line. The trail covers approximately 84 miles (approximately 70% of which is completed) from New Haven, Connecticut to Northampton, Massachusetts and is part of the East Coast Greenway.

This project is broken into two sections. Section Number 1 begins on an end point of the existing trail at the intersection of Cornwall Avenue and extends to the intersection with Routes 68/70 (West Main Street) for a length of 0.7 miles. Section Number 2 is 1.5 miles north of West Main Street extending from Jarvis Street to the Southington town line for a length of 2.5 miles, where it will match the existing trail in Southington. The section between Route 68/70 (West Main Street) and Jarvis Street is currently being designed by the Town of Cheshire under State Project No. 25-135. Completion of the State and Town designed projects will resolve a 4.7 mile gap in the trail system and provide approximately 25 miles of continuous trail from New Haven to northern Southington.

The present schedule indicates that the design will be completed in March 2015, with construction anticipated to start in fall 2015. This project will be undertaken with 80% Federal and 20% State funds.

It is the Department’s policy to keep the public informed and involved when such projects are undertaken. It is important that the community share its concerns with us to assist in the project’s development. A public informational meeting will be conducted upon the completion of the preliminary design. At this time, it is not anticipated that a formal public hearing will be necessary.

Anyone interested in receiving information on this project may do so by contacting Mr. Timothy M. Wilson, Manager of Highway Design, at (860) 594-3189, or by e-mail at Timothy.Wilson@ct.gov. Please make reference to State Project No. 0025-0144.