Campus Trail Connector

Update: On July 29, 2020 The Upper Charles Trail Committee was awarded a MA Trails Grant to undertake engineering studies for the Campus Trail Project. Press Report. The engineering study is expected to be completed by the end of June 2021. Results will be published here.

Presentation: Jane Moran, Committee Chair, discusses trail plans. The initial moments reference the Planning Board before moving on to the work of the Upper Charles Trail Committee

http://www.hcam.tv/news/watch-now-planning-board-candidate-jane-moran-and-more-hangout-hour

The Hopkinton Upper Charles Trail Committee is proposing a connecting trail for the Hopkinton High School, Middle School, Hopkins School and the new Marathon Elementary School. The “Campus Trail Connector” will allow students, runners, cyclists and others easy passage between the three schools, as well as the downtown area, for a total length of about 2.5 miles. The section crossing school grounds has been approved by the School Committee, and State funds are being sought to advance engineering and construction. Full details were made available at a public meeting held on October 2, 2019. State funds are being sought to advance engineering and construction, and the meeting was held in support of that application. Following a presentation by VHB, our engineering consultants, of the planning to date, participants were invited to ask questions. What follows are the questions and responses as best as we can recreate them.

When will the Campus Trail Connector be built?
There are many unknows, especially whether we will be successful in securing the state grant, but under the best circumstance, construction might start in 2022.

Will the Connector be part of the proposed Upper Charles Trail extending from Milford to Ashland.
The Hopkinton Upper Charles Trail Committee is charged with this undertaking. While this is a stand-alone project, the Committee expects it will eventually become a segment of the Upper Charles Trail providing an 8 mile path through Hopkinton from Milford to Ashland. Plans for the overall Upper Charles Trail are still in planning, but it is anticipated the Connector will either be part of the Trail or, at a minimum, a spur trail. In any case the Select board must approve the final Trail. While a portion of the Campus Trail Connector has been cleared, the entire project is still in early planning and State funds will be requested to conduct a detailed engineering study to determine the exact route, materials and the cost as well as funding sources.

The Town does not need a Trail connecting with Milford, and the money should be used for another facility.
The State funds we will apply for are designated for trails and can’t be used for other purposes. We would be remiss if we did not take full advantage of potential State funding.

How much will this project cost?
Cost determination is part of the proposed study, but based on past experience, it is estimated to run about $1 million. The State is expected to pay about 80% of this with the Town match consisting of money already spent plus a Community Preservation allocation. The estimate was developed in a 2016 Feasibility study and includes a 40% contingency as well as a 25% MassDOT Construction Contingency. The design cost estimate amounts to approximately $250K.

Why is a connector between schools necessary?
Members of the School Community expressed support for the Connector in terms of student safety and shared use of facilities. Moreover the trail would become a significant community facility serving the broader Town community. This segment of trail has been identified by the Town as a good candidate to receive MassTrails funding through their 2020 program. This segment of trail will be an essential link for incorporating the Center Trail into the Upper Charles Trail network. In addition the link from the Town Center at the North end of the Center Trail to the Schools on the South end and beyond to EMC park and the Marathon school will provide the Town with a safe alternatives to the private automobile.  The trail will not be used to justify limited school bussing in Town, although we anticipate that implementation of the Campus Connector Trail will have a positive effect on the numbers of children that will be able to walk or use a bicycle to get to school.

What will be the surface treatment of the Trail, with many expressing a preference for stone dust.
The finished surface of the path has yet to be determined. The proposed design study will tackle this question. It was noted that many considerations go into this decision including: the State may not extend construction funding unless there is a hard surface, stone dust is not suitable for inclined sections, and storm runoff may necessitate hard surface for environmental purposes. It was noted that runners prefer a stone dust trail and that bicycle riding can also be accommodated. However, MassTIP funding requires a bituminous finished trail. Also there are other users to consider including skaters, people with strollers, as well as ADA accessibility which will be required by all State and Federal funding agencies. The UCTC will work with all stakeholders to determine the final design including finishes.

What happens next?
The Hopkinton Upper Charles Trail Committee requested State design funds in January 2020 and will know if successful by the summer of 2020. Ideally design work would beginning by end of 2020 and would be presented beforehand at another public meeting in 2021. The project area for the proposed grant extends from Hayden Rowe at McDermott Lane to the Center Trail where it intersects with the Loop Road. It should be noted that the charge of the UCT was to develop two alternative alignments of a Shared Use Path through the Town of Hopkinton that extended the existing Upper Charles Trail ending at the Milford Town Line with the Town of Ashland. Unfortunately, a continuous length of the former railroad right of way is no longer available. The UCTC has identified a preferred alignment based on available Town owned parcels. Some acquisition of private parcels will be required and the UCTC has been reaching out to property owners to discuss their willingness to cooperate with their vision. Numerous negotiations for easements are in process. The Town is fully committed to the importance of this trail and if the MassTrails funding does not come through, there are other means of funding the design and construction.

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