Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Project has reached key criteria in eliminating parking need in Westford.
The Westford Board of Selectmen held an update last week on plans for a parking lot along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Acton known as "The Acton Plan," with money for the project being approved by the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization last year. Westford Director of Land Use Planning Angus Jennings reported that the project just over the border from Westford has hit the 75 percent design benchmark and is projected to have 14 spots, likely eliminating the need for parking in Westford. A report on a conservation restriction on the Vose Parcel, another contentious point in the Bruce Freeman parking debate, was postponed to Jan. 22. The Bruce Freeman Trail is a proposed rail trail through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The $1.5 billion bill helps build infrastructure that strengthens the state’s economy over the long term, governor says.
Gov. Deval Patrick called a $1.5 billion transportation bond bill that includes funding for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail "what the state needs to strengthen its economy and "quality of life for the long term.” Patrick signed the bill on Aug. 9. “Our transportation infrastructure had suffered from years of neglect, so this administration started rebuilding roads, rails and bridges in every corner of our state and creating thousands of jobs," Patrick said after he enacted the bill, which enjoyed the strong support of the Legislature, passing the House by a vote of 150-2 on July 31, the last day of the session. The bond bill ensures funding for many projects already under way and allots money for the planning of future improvements across the…
Friday, June 29, 2012
In a stark contrast from March's Town Meeting, the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization approved earmarking federal funding for Phase 2A of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail along with dozens of other transportation related improvements around Eastern Mas
In a stark contrast to the hours of debate that dominated the 2012 Westford Town Meeting, the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization approved $8,788,000 to extend the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from its current terminus in Westford all the way to near the Acton/Concord border. The decision came as part of a unanimous board approval on BMPO’s Fiscal Year 2013-2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal transportation money for improvements across Eastern Massachusetts. Although originally money for the Phase 2A portion of the trail was expected to come from the sale of former rail lines along its projected path, the new funding will be coming as part of the …
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Rail trail hopefully ready by 2017.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Town of Westford has announced they are seeking to establish a working group to make the "Acton Plan" a reality, due in large part to unexpected funding recommended by the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Yesterday, the Town of Westford announced it wants volunteers for a working group aimed towards coordinating the proposed Bruce Freeman Rail Trail extension and parking lot in Acton, also known over the past few months as "the Acton Plan." Any hopes of the plan coming to fruition were expected to take decades, even though it appeared to have a positive reaction from factions for and against proposed rail trail parking lots in Westford. That was until last week, when Land Use Management Director Angus Jennings informed the Planning Board that the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO) voted to recommend Phase 2A of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, which extends from Westford into Carlisle and Acton. "No one saw this coming," said …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
There are several warrant articles on this Saturday's Town Meeting warrant having to do with the long contested nature path in the southeastern part of town. What happens could affect Acton and Chelmsford along with Westford.
Today, part three of our five part series on this Saturday’s Westford Town Meeting looks at the five warrant articles having to do with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Articles 14 and 15: These two articles are identical, and Article 14, which was brought forth by the Selectmen, is likely going to be dismissed so there are not duplicate votes on the same issue. Article 15, which came from a citizens’ petition, asks the town to appropriate a sum of $5,000 for surveying and technical work to develop parking inside Westford near the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The Westford Conservation Trust, a non-profit group that works independently with the town to maintain Westford’s nature trails, has joined with the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail …
Friday, March 2, 2012
The issue of parking along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail wasn't settled at the Stony Brook School on Wednesday night, but there was plenty of information and passionate discussion in what may be a foreshadowing of Town Meeting.
Over 100 local residents and town officials braved the snow to attend Wednesday night’s informational meeting at the Stony Brook School on the continuing Bruce Freeman Rail Trail parking issue. Following setbacks with the proposed “Acton Plan” coming from the previous meeting on the trail in August at the J.V Fletcher Library, the meeting moderated by Westford town planner Chris Kluchman was designed to help inform the public on the issue while also helping town official better understand the concerns of residents. Westford director of land use planning Angus Jennings began the informational portion of the meeting with updates on what the town has done since the August meeting, which was followed by questions from the audience and what is …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Concord is working with Acton on the project.
Concord Selectmen addressed the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and the status of bringing it through West Concord during an abbreviated meeting Monday night. Concord Town Manager Chris Whelan related that Town of Acton Planning Director Roland Bartl recently negotiated a Right of Entry Agreement with MassDOT’s Rail Division. The agreement allows Acton to continue the next step in the plan to connect the existing trail. Whelan asked Concord officials to sign off on their portion of the deal. Concord Selectmen signatures were required to negotiate with the state over where to place the trail and which pieces of existing land would have to be modified. “I asked the state for permission for right of entry and the state said that it would first need…
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The clear consensus from Westford town leaders after the large meeting in August to determine a solution for parking along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail was trying to put a parking lot in Acton.
One Westford Patch reader asked us whatever happened to that parking lot....We have the answer. Originally, the town hoped for a MassWorks grant in December to help fund the parking lot project, building it ahead of the scheduled expansion of the trail into Acton. However, the project ultimately was not chosen. So, is the parking lot in Acton idea dead? Not exactly. The funding issue can be resolved through the Iron Horse Preservation Group, a non-profit organization that removes old railroad ties from proposed rail trails and then sells them for money to build the trails themselves. Iron Horse has offered to aid in the project and extend the trail to the proposed parking lot site a few hundred feet from the Westford/Carlisle/Acton border…
42.533102
-71.399676
1090 Main St, Acton, MA
Approximate address of the proposed parking lot.
/articles/what-happened-to-the-bruce-freman-rail-trail-parking-lot-in-acton
/locations/6254899
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Jointing towns vote to seek assistance with funding for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Following a heated recent multi-board meeting in Westford, regarding potential parking lots in parcels near the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Westford, plans to move the parking facility for the trail to Acton appear to hitting full stride. Westford land use management director, Angus Jennings, reported to the board that it appears the possibility of obtaining a MassWorks grant by the Friday deadline for the 10-12 space parking lot in Acton near the beginning of the trail’s next phase close to the Westford/Acton/Carlisle border. The Acton Board of Selectmen and the Carlisle Board of Selectmen both voted unanimously to approve wording, asking the state to assist with funding that would accelerate a small portion of the trail’s next phase …
Jim Snyder-Grant
1:29 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
As mentioned, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which coordinates the spending of millions of federal transportation dollars, has moved the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail sections in Concord & Acton up to 2014. That's a big & welcome change for those wanting to see safer & easier biking alternatives in Acton & beyond. more ›