Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in South Chelmsford
Length15.08 miles (24.27 km) open, just under 25 miles (40 km) when complete
Began construction2009
UseHiking, bicycling, inline skating, cross-country skiing
DifficultyEasy
SeasonYear-round
SurfacePaved
Right of wayFormer Framingham and Lowell Railroad
Maintained byMassachusetts Department of Transportation and the communities through which the trail runs
Websitehttps://brucefreemanrailtrail.org/

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) is a partially-completed rail trail in Massachusetts. The path is a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) paved multi-use trail, available for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and other non-motorized uses.[1] It follows the right-of-way of the disused Framingham and Lowell Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.[2] The constructed route connects with the Bay Circuit Trail, and Phase 2D will connect with the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside.[3] The total planned length of the trail—which will eventually run continuously between Lowell and Framingham—is just under 25 miles (40 km).[1][2] The trail is named for Bruce Freeman, a state representative from Chelmsford who advocated for the trail in the Massachusetts Legislature in 1985 and 1986 before his death.[4] The trail is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation from Lowell to South Sudbury.[5] In July 2020, MassTrails awarded Sudbury $300,000 to purchase the right-of-way from South Sudbury to the Framingham line, and Sudbury became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2020.[6][7] In December 2022, Framingham signed a purchase-and-sale agreement with CSX to purchase the right-of-way in Framingham, and Framingham became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2023.[8][7] The trail is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the communities through which the trail runs.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference globe1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Bruce Freeman Rail Trail". Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
  3. ^ "Existing and Proposed Facilities". Central Transportation Planning Staff. February 17, 2005 – via Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
  4. ^ "About Bruce Freeman". Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Rail Trail Acronyms". Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. January 13, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "2020 MassTrails Grant Awards". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 2020. p. 8.
  7. ^ a b Dinh, Mai (December 4, 2023). "Decision and Notice of Interim Trail Use or Abandonment, Docket No. AB 565 (Sub-No 1X)" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "6,000 days later: Framingham on track for rail trail". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Smith, Margaret. "In Lowell, Bruce Freeman Rail Trail marks point of connection". Wicked Local. Retrieved September 30, 2023.