Marlborough Gets Grant To Extend Assabet River Rail Trail

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough was awarded a six-figure MassDOT grant this week that will allow the city to extend the Assabet River Rail Trail a short distance to Main Street.

The $178,000 grant is from the state's Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Program, and was among $5.3 million in grants doled out to 36 cities and towns across the state on Thursday.

With the grant, Marlborough will be able to extend the Assabet trail from where it terminates at the intersection of Lincoln and Highland streets two blocks south to Main Street — giving walkers and bikers access to downtown stores and restaurants. The trail will be extended along existing streets, MassDOT said.

The 9.2-mile Assabet River Rail Trail west section travels from near Route 62 and Main Street in Hudson to Marlborough. Eventually, the trail may extend from its end in Hudson northeast to the second section, which begins at White Pond Road in Maynard and continues into Acton.