SOUTHBOROUGH – Community members in Southborough may soon see a new trail option thanks to a $50,000 state grant.
Dubbed the Peninsula Trail, this project will help connect the existing Boroughs Loop and Aqueduct Trails. It will also intersect with the Bay Circuit Trail in town, near the Southborough/Framingham border and the Route 30 causeway over the Sudbury Reservoir.
“Expanding the town’s recreational opportunities by adding another trail will help to reduce overuse of the existing resources and will benefit people of all ages and abilities,” the town wrote in an announcement last week.
Project draws on MassTrails funding
This money comes through the MassTrails program, which receives its funding from the state Division of Conservation and Recreation.
Officials are eyeing a 1.9-mile path, planning to use grant money to build a .4 mile section in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.
This will include both accessible parking and an accessible boardwalk/footbridge to draw pedestrians off what officials describe as a “dangerous” section of Route 30.
Signage will additionally showcase elements of town history and watershed protection efforts.
Officials expect work to be completed at some point before 2024.
As the state sends $50,000 to this project, the town will match with $87,177, according to state documents.
Other communities receive funding
This is one of several awards coming to area communities through the MassTrails initiative.
Money is separately supporting a bridge replacement project in Westborough’s Bowman Conservation Area.
Shrewsbury, meanwhile, will receive support for design and engineering work around a new shared-use path at Jordan Pond.
Boroughs Loop Trail continues to take shape
As it expands with state support, the Boroughs Loop Trail will be adding a crucial link eight years after it was first discussed and three years after its grand opening.
The trail runs for 33 miles between Southborough, Northborough, Marlborough and Westborough, connecting existing trail networks like the Westborough Charm Bracelet.
It has been built largely thanks to volunteer support.
Though open, roughly nine miles remain incomplete, according to the Sudbury Valley Trustees.
Besides the Peninsula Trail portion in Southborough, planned future connections include a path off the Assabet River Rail Trail near the Hudson/Marlborough border.
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