State DOT Dedicated to Closing Gap in Farmington Trail

During a public meeting on Tuesday, August 20, Andrew Carrier, a Connecticut DOT consultant, said the state is working to fill the 9.1 mile gap in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. 

According to an article in the Hartford Courant, Carrier said the state assembled a map of the greenway's trails that show where the gaps are and are using this to work on linking as many trails as economically possible. 

One of the gaps that was discussed was in Plainville. Here the trail stops in Southington and resumes in Farmington, which forces cyclists to turn around or ride on the roads. 

Carrier told the 24 in attendance at the public meeting the state engineers are looking at possible routes to link the trail in Plainville, but it is a very complex situation that will require the state to receive a right of way on railroad property, installing at-grade crossings and most likely constructing a bridge to carry cyclists and pedestrians across Route 6 in Farmington. 

Carrier added that the state has already finished designs to fill in the smaller gaps of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in New Haven and Cheshire.