Cochituate Rail Trail?
Does anybody know anything about the Cochituate Rail Trail through Natick and Framingham? Poking around online I found a few references to it, along with some vaporware announcements, but no solid status. I just bought a house near Natick Center, and it would be really nice to have a trail within biking distance :)
The CRT is slated to run from Natick Center to Saxonville, in Framingham, a bit more than 4 miles. The portion in Framingham (north of Route 30) is due to open this summer, but the Natick section has been held up by several factors, mainly that somebody is still using the tracks.
Now, the good news is that the current track-user (who is situated on Chryseler Road, near Boston Scientific) will be leaving in June. The building owner, however, is still advertising access to the rails as a perk of the site to any potential lessees.
As I understand it, federal law requires that, after rail usage stops, there be some sort of holding period to make sure nobody else wants to use the rails, and then it can be opened for... whatever.
Furthermore, as I understand it, the new tenants of the Chryseler Road property will not be using the rails, so as long as things stay this way, we should see a trail in, oh, a coupla years.
If you want more information, or want to actually participate in CRT planning, the Natick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets on the first Monday of each month in the police station.
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