MA Officials Break Ground On Cochituate Trail; Reveal Bike Plan

NATICK, MA — Local and State officials broke ground in Natick on Friday, kicking off construction to the latest segment of the Cochituate Rail Trail. MassDOT officials also released the State Bicycle Transportation and State Pedestrian Transportation Plans.

The Cochituate Rail Trail connects Framingham and Natick and construction of the trail includes replacing a bridge over Route 9 and building a grade-separated crossing at Route 30. The $12.4 million multimodal project focuses on the construction of the 2.4 miles of the trail between Framingham and Natick. The construction will create a connection between the existing section of the trail in Framingham, the Natick Mall, and Route 27 in Natick. The project is expected to be finished in 2021.

During the groundbreaking, officials revealed the biking and pedestrian plans for the state. The plans focus on making biking and walking throughout the Commonwealth safer and more efficient for residents and put an emphasis on getting more residents onto bikes and sidewalks and less in cars.

One new program allots $60 million to fund the implementation of the Bike Plan and the Massachusetts Pedestrian Transportation Plan. Programs like the Shared Use Path Program invest $180 million in trails to give both bikes and cars space on the road.

MassDOT’s Safe Routes to School program encourages students to walk and bike to school. From 2017-2018 academic year, 171 pedestrian-and-bicycle-safety training events and 412 walk/bike to school events were held. Planned projects totaling $12.6 million are in the works for nine additional schools.

Another part of the plan was a new team in the Governor’s office: the Interagency Trails Team. It will be comprised of staff from MassDOT, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). The Team helps develop a unified vision for a shared use path network and translate the vision into strategic investments, policy innovations, and partnerships with municipalities.

“The Baker-Polito Administration is pleased to release the final State Bicycle Transportation Plan and State Pedestrian Transportation Plan and continue implementing our vision for Massachusetts in which all people have a safe, comfortable and convenient option to walk or bike for short, every day trips,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “The Cochituate Rail Trail is an example of our strategy to make multimodal investments to lessen the demand for new vehicle trips, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, place less strain on household transportation expenses, and promote public health.”