Hudson Select Board shows interest in Mass. Central Rail Trail

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Hudson leaders are showing interest in the Mass. Central Rail Trail. 

Hudson leaders are showing interest in the Mass. Central Rail Trail. 

HUDSON – Already home to the beloved Assabet River Rail Trail, Hudson is showing interest in constructing another recreational path.

The Select Board on Jan. 13 voted unanimously, 3-0, to take three actions regarding the proposed Mass. Central Rail Trail. The board signed on to a letter supporting the “Finish the Trail” campaign, while also authorizing the Department of Planning and Community Development to apply for design funds with the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Mass. Trails Program.

The Mass. Central Rail Trail is a project that aims to connect Boston and Northampton with 104 miles of trails. The project has been in the works since 1980. Today, the organization advocating for the trail reports that 96.5 miles of the proposed trail are protected, with 63 miles open for public use. At this point, Hudson and Berlin are some of the remaining unfinished sections of the trail.

The proposed trail section in Hudson would start near the ongoing Eversource Transmission Project, later connecting to Main Street and the Assabet River Rail Trail. Moving west from there, the trail would loosely follow Central Street, and then Coolidge Street, before hitting the Bolton line near Interstate 495.

“This is the town’s second adventure in rail trails, so it’s very exciting,” said Director of Planning and Community Development Kristina Johnson.

In 2023, Hudson received a $119,000 grant from the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation to perform a feasibility study, survey work, and wetland delineation. The grant also made the project federal-aid eligible.

The town hopes to earn every last available dollar in grants and aid, said Johnson, as rail trails cost roughly $1 million per mile to construct in 2024. Hudson has a “very good shot” at getting financial help, she said.

“We all know the benefits of having the Assabet River Rail Trail in town. Not only is it providing recreation opportunities, but it’s also an economic development tool as well. People ride on the trail all the time. Having a second rail trail will certainly help,” said Johnson.

For more information on the Mass. Central Rail Trail, visit https://www.masscentralrailtrail.org/.

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