Friday, October 25, 2008: In anticipation of the Rail Trail Enhancement Project, which we will implement after the state contractor finishes the basic trail in a year or so, the City has recently purchased two bicycle-based sculptures for eventual placement somewhere along the trail.  One is called “Dogwalker” by Rob Hitzig, and the other is called “Will He” by Simon Larochelle.  For now, the two sculptures have been placed on the waterfront as part of the Somerby’s Landing Sculpture Park.  The City bought these two interactive sculptures at an auction sponsored by the Montpelier VT Downtown Community Association.  Note that we are planning to include several other interactive sculptures on the rail trail as part of the Enhancement Project, which will also include benches, signage, etc., for which we are still raising money.  In terms of the ongoing construction project, the state contractor S&R Construction Enterprises continues to work on the clearing and excavation portion of the project.  South of Merrimac Street, the corridor has mostly been cleared and grubbed and the railroad ties and track removed.  The contractor has been screening out the large piles of dirt and debris pushed up along the southern part of the corridor.  North of Merrimac Street, much of the clearing has been done, and the contractor is beginning to install more erosion control measures, remove the ties and rails, and complete the grubbing.  Concrete barriers have gone up along the shoulder of the Rt. 1 off-ramp, delineating the area that their trucks will move in once excavation starts in that portion of the corridor.  A subcontractor called Ashworth Construction has just begun preparing to repoint the mortar joints of the old granite abutments that rise up from Merrimac Street to support the existing rail bridge.

September 25, 2008: On Saturday, September 20th, local citizens organized a community yard sale at Cushing Park as a benefit for the Clipper City Rail Trail, and approximately $2,000 was raised.  Such grassroots efforts take an enormous amount of energy to coordinate, and I believe the volume of stuff greatly surpassed the level anyone anticipated.  Several people made contributions without purchasing any of the second-hand items, others gave more than asked, and many benefited simply from the transfer of stuff – clearing out old items cluttering up the house, or finding cheap new items in the context of a generally difficult economic climate.  While there may not be sufficient energy every year to coordinate such a community yard sale, I am hoping that people can come together periodically to organize raffles and other community events to support the stewardship, enhancement, and extension of the rail trail.  Big thanks to Mary Harbaugh, the primary force behind the community yard sale.  Also, thanks to the Coastal Trails Coalition, particularly Bill Steelman, David Hall, Bob Straubel, Jerry Klima, Elizabeth Marcus, Tracy Chalifour, Susan Yeames, Shelley Sheridan, Jane Healey, and Deb Carey.  In addition, thanks to various friends of the trail who volunteered their time including Jim Stiles, Sue Hertz, Judy Mouradian, Ted Ruetenik, Ann Lagasse, Bob Miller, Robin Blackmore, Ann and Chuck Hauser, Aine Greaney, Ken Ellrot, Cindy Bourquard, Jack Van Loan, Jay Gore, Jerry Mullins, Karen Kelley, L.J. Newton, Amantha Moore and Friends of the Library for borrowed tables, Lowe's and Johnson Lumber for donations of cull lumber, Salisbury Hilton Center for borrowed tables, Town of Salisbury for borrowed tables, Aaron Millett of Riverside Cycles for borrowed tent, a Congress Street resident for borrowed electricity, and Elizabeth Marcus's son and his friend for DJ services during the event, plus James Shanley and the City Council for use of the park space.  (Hopefully I have not missed anyone, or screwed up giving credit where credit is due.)

September 11, 2008: The state’s rail trail contractor is scheduled to work on the underside of the old rail bridge that spans Merrimac Street on the night of Tuesday, September 16, 2008.  Work will begin at 9:00 p.m. and proceed to 6:00 a.m. the following morning.  Two police details and a police cruiser will be present while the work is being performed, and there will be alternating lane closures while workers install timbers under the structure.  The rail trail contractor is installing temporary timber protective shielding under the bridge so they can safely conduct the demolition of the bridge’s rotted decking.  After disposal of the deteriorated old decking and substructure, the bridge will eventually receive a new deck of a durable tropical hardwood on top of a new timber substructure, plus new vinyl-coated chain-link fencing and a timber rub rail.  The contractor will also replace old anchor bolts on the bridge’s main girders, and repoint the old masonry abutments that rise from the street level up to the bridge.  The shielding work is being conducted at night in order to minimize the impact on traffic along this high volume corridor.  (There would need to be two days of lane closures if the work was to be conducted during the day due to the smaller window of time allowed.)  The contractor has been instructed to minimize noise by bringing pre-cut timbers to the site and to avoid aiming lights anywhere but the bridge.  We apologize for any inconvenience or annoyance this work entails, and appreciate the understanding of residents and motorists during this portion of the job.

September 4, 2008: The survey crew laid down the baseline for the trail, and S&R Construction Enterprises’ subcontractor Pelletier did a significant amount of clearing along much of the corridor in August.  They removed a swathe of grass, bushes, trees and other vegetation to prepare the corridor to receive excess soil from the riverfront area, prepare the Low Street area for installation of the new pedestrian bridge, stairs, and spur pathway, and establish good sight lines and safety for the eventual users of the trail.  Hay bales have also gone down to protect wetland areas adjacent to the rail corridor.  There are several areas along the corridor where the general contractor will conduct additional clearing by hand.  Partial clearing has happened on the upriver side of the old railroad embankment near the Rivers Edge Condominiums on the Merrimack River, due to the steepness of the slopes.  More of this clearing will continue once the contractor’s electricians re-route the electrical wire that serves the old rail bridge’s navigation lights.  The “hauling road” has been set up along the off-ramp of Route 1 in preparation for excavation of the rail embankment near the river.  The contractor is also removing old rails and ties from the cleared southern portions of the trail in preparation for those areas receiving truckloads of excess soil from the riverfront area, in anticipation of carving the embankment down for the connection with the harborwalk.  While some work is anticipated on rehabilitating the existing bridge over Merrimac Street, the primary focus of the coming weeks and months will be excavation and transfer of soil.

July 30, 2008: The City's Senior Project Manager Geordie Vining has met several times this month with the MHD Resident Engineer assigned to the job, Ray Orsini, who has recently established an office in town and will be splitting his time between Newburyport and the Peabody rail trail.  On July 23rd we did a walk-through of the corridor with the Contractor, Resident Engineer and his assistant, and the Designer.  Currently, the contractor’s survey crew is working through mid-August to mark the centerline of the entire trail (working south to north), as well as remove rails, ties, and old railroad debris.  The torrential rains in recent weeks have lead to some small delays.  Around the week of August 18th, clearing work will begin for the whole corridor.  Once that is completed after several weeks, the contractor will place hay bale siltation barriers near the wetlands south of Low Street and at the riverfront, and then will start excavation and earthmoving near the Merrimack River and continue through the fall.

June 17, 2008: The Massachusetts Highway Department has finalized contracting with S&R Construction Enterprises to build the rail trail, and issued a Notice to Proceed on June 12, 2008.  MHD has scheduled a pre-construction meeting during the first week in July which the City’s representative will attend.  We will know more about the anticipated start date and the overall project schedule in early July after that meeting.

May 12, 2008: On April 23, 2008, the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) received six bids from contractors for the Clipper City Rail Trail project, and is currently in the process of awarding the contract to the low bidder.  Once the award is made and a Notice to Proceed issued, the MHD Resident Engineer will schedule a pre-construction meeting with the contractor, designer and the City.  Construction will begin in the summer of 2008.

Project Plans (4 MB)

The Clipper City Rail Trail project is a 1.1 mile trail between the Merrimack River and the MBTA Commuter Rail Station.  The trail will be open to non-motorized uses such as bicycling, jogging, and walking. 

The idea of a rail trail has been discussed in the City of Newburyport since the 1970’s when railroad use of the corridor was abandoned.  The City has been working for many years to establish the Clipper City Rail Trail, a priority stated in the City’s 2001 Master Plan, 2003 Strategic Waterfront Plan, and 2005 Open Space and Recreation Plan.  The numerous tasks associated with this long-term project have included conducting title examinations to determine ownership, negotiation of right of way agreements and temporary easements, testing for contamination, applying for numerous grants, hiring and managing a design firm, hosting public meetings, permitting the project, and working with the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) to finalize design and prepare for construction.  The design plans for this new public space were substantially completed in September 2007 and accepted by MHD, which advertised the project to receive bids on April 23rd, 2008.  Construction commenced in the summer of 2008.

The old rail corridor is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and the City holds a 99-Year Lease for creation and operation of the rail trail.  Newburyport was the first municipality in the state to secure such a 99-year lease from the MBTA in 2005 in order to meet Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and MHD standards for investment of federal and state transportation funding.  The MBTA rail corridor has been used informally by the public as a footpath for years, and a portion has been adopted by a neighborhood.  However, it has contained substantial debris from the former railroad as well as typical low level contamination, lacks connectivity to other trails and sidewalks, lacks fencing, subjects users to an at-grade crossing at busy Low Street, and has experienced encroachments, dumping, flooding, overgrown vegetation, homeless encampments, and other problems.

The Clipper City Rail Trail will create a safe, attractive and vibrant new public space that will run a little over a mile from the MBTA Commuter Rail Station to the Merrimack River.  The 10-foot wide asphalt trail will provide the public with a safe and appealing off-road corridor for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and other non-motorized users.  A new pedestrian bridge will cross over Low Street.  The multi-use trail will carve its way down the existing railroad embankment (which dead-ends high above the river at the old rail bridge) and connect directly with the growing Harborwalk along the shoreline.  The trail will cut easterly along the shoreline through the old railroad embankment and travel underneath the Route 1 Gillis Bridge, connecting with the Waterside West district and a sidewalk back to Merrimac Street.  The trail will connect such local institutions and attractions as the MBTA commuter rail station, Haley’s Ice Cream, the MetroRock North Indoor Rock Climbing Center, the Graf Skating Rink, Cashman Park and the shoreline of the Merrimack River.  Various bakeries, coffee shops, and restaurants are a short distance from the trail.  The Clipper City Rail Trail is part of a larger envisioned regional trails network, including the Coastal Trails Network, the Border to Boston trail, and the Merrimack River Trail.

Funding for the design of the Clipper City Rail Trail came primarily through grants from MHD and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), as well as the Community Preservation Act (CPA).  The City hired Stantec (formerly known as Vollmer Associates) to develop the design for the facility.  The City also secured the commitment of $3 million in federal and state funding for construction of the trail as part of the regional Transportation Improvement Plan.  The primary source of funding is the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, which is designated specifically for projects that help reduce congestion and tailpipe emissions including by definition bicycle and pedestrian pathways.  (This funding source cannot be used, for instance, for work on conventional roads or bridges, or schools and other general needs.)  The reliance on federal funding requires that the MHD take charge of advertising, contracting, and managing the construction of the project once the design is completed.  The City will be responsible for maintenance and operation once the trail is complete.  The City works closely with the MHD Resident Engineer to manage the contractor during the construction phase.

Coastal Trails Coalition Status Map

The City anticipates directly following the state’s construction of the basic rail trail with an “Enhancement Project” that will include the installation of benches, signage, play equipment, and other facilities that MHD has determined the federal transportation funding cannot support.  These facilities will make the trail more unique attractive, unique, and diverse.

The types of improvements that the City would like to implement as part of the Clipper City Rail Trail Enhancement Project include the following:

• High quality, large format (36”x48”), porcelain enamel reproductions of evocative old photographs of the rail corridor’s historic use as an active railway will provide visual links to the past for trail users.  Images will include the notable 1873 train wreck off of the Merrimac Street bridge as well as old train stations and other steam locomotives traveling through our City.

• A custom-built half-scale play sculpture of a steam locomotive mounted on springs and a clipper ship – designed and built by craftsmen from a children’s museum – will provide a unique attraction for families as well as a tangible and innovative link to Newburyport’s history.

• Other types of play equipment will also make the rail trail a destination, including unusual swings, and unique climbers.

• Site furniture such as high-quality benches will allow trail users to sit and enjoy various portions of the trail, contemplate the river, and watch their children playing.  In addition, a Big Belly solar trash compactor with recycling bins plus attractive dog waste bag dispensers will facilitate trail users cleaning up after their pets and the proper disposal of litter, maintaining the attractiveness of the trail for everyone.

• Kiosks with map signs will provide orientation particularly for new trail users at the primary trailheads located at the ends and the middle of the trail.

• A spur pathway connection to Haley’s Ice Cream, a popular ice cream/sandwich store and institution for many decades in Newburyport, will provide easy access to this destination which is located about 200 feet off of the trail.

• A linear wildflower meadow along the trail in the wide, sunny, open stretch of corridor between Low and Parker Streets will make use of the trail significantly more attractive.

The Clipper City Rail Trail will not be considered “done” until such facilities are installed.  The extent of the project will depend upon fund-raising.  While several grant requests are pending, generous funding commitments to date have come from the Mayor Gayden Morrill Charitable Foundation, the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, and the H. Patterson Hale Jr. Charitable Foundation, as well as by the CPA.

Implementation is anticipated in 2009 or 2010 after the basic trail is constructed. 

Once the 1.1 mile portion of the Clipper City Rail Trail is constructed and the Enhancement Project is implemented, the City will be able to focus on the intensive amount of work required to extend the trail along the old City Branch rail corridor.  This corridor runs along the waterfront east of the Boardwalk and loops through the South End neighborhood to the east of the downtown.  Additional easements, licenses, and right-of-way agreements need to be secured, funding needs to be raised for design and construction, and design and permitting conducted to advance this phase of the rail trail.

Significant progress has been made on this extension of the rail trail by the City’s 2006 acquisition of approximately 10 acres of land owned by Guilford Transportation/B&M Railroad along the City Branch corridor.  This $418,000 project was the culmination of years of negotiation and was supported by Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding.  Note that the City is currently exploring the potential for a new public water supply compatible with the development of a trial on an 8.9 acre parcel of this land.

The City has also negotiated two long-term licenses from National Grid on portions of the City Branch corridor owned by the utility, including the substation, where the electric lines are underground.  The current amended licenses require that the City secure funding, complete the remaining right-of-way agreements, and finalize design and permitting by 2018 in order to “activate” the license.

In addition to private encroachments on the public corridor, the primary remaining right-of-way issues include property owned by:

• U.S. Coast Guard: The Coast Guard operates the Merrimack River Station on the waterfront behind the Tannery 5 building off of Water Street.  The City has worked periodically with various captains and station chiefs about running the path along the grass strip that currently separates the Tannery 5 parking lot from the Coast Guard parking lot and is not used by the Coast Guard.  While all have agreed in concept with the installation of the trail and appropriate fencing, the term of the license has been an issue that remains to be resolved.

• Norbert Carey: In 2003, a private citizen purchased a portion of the rail corridor formerly owned by Guilford Transportation/B&M Railroad off of High Street, and signed an agreement with the City to donate an easement for the rail trail once his purchase was recorded at the Registry of Deeds.  However, the purchase has not been recorded to date, and the easement not yet secured.

• National Grid: The publicly owned corridor is land-locked to the north of Parker Street in Newbury, and the portions of the corridor to the north and south of Parker Street are owned by National Grid.  There are overhead utility lines along this portion of the corridor, and additional negotiation is required with the company in cooperation with the Town of Newbury in order to secure a license for this area so that the trail can connect with Parker Street, plus Route 1 and the commuter rail station.

• Massachusetts Highway Department: Route 1 is a major obstacle between the old City Branch rail corridor and the MBTA commuter rail station.  A 2008 study by the transportation planning company VHB suggests that a pedestrian-activated signal at this location is the most feasible method to allow safe pedestrian and bicycle access across the highway.  The City in cooperation with the Town of Newbury must work with MHD to study and allow this crossing.

Riverside Cycle, a Newburyport bicycle store located at 50 Water Street in the Tannery complex, generously initiated a campaign on April 1, 2008 to provide financial support each year for the annual maintenance and stewardship of the Clipper City Rail Trail.  Riverside Cycle will donate $10 for every bicycle they sell and $5 for every bicycle tune-up they perform.  Aaron Millet, Riverside Cycle owner, expects to provide approximately $5,000 per year.  As an incentive for customers to shop locally, the store offers a lowest price guarantee for all bike shops within 50 miles. 

The donated funds will be held by the non-profit City Improvement Society and used by the City for enhancing and taking care of the rail trail.  This type of public-private partnership is very important.  Typically, grants are available only for capital projects – not maintenance after the project is built.  Establishing such trails is a costly public investment, and a reliable funding method is needed to ensure that the facility is attractive and well-maintained for decades to come.  Too many public spaces suffer from deterioration due to cuts in annual municipal budgets or the inability of supporters to sustain repeated fund-raising.  The generosity of Riverside Cycle will help maintain and preserve the facility by providing a dedicated and reliable source of funding for stewardship and improve the quality of life in Newburyport.             

If you or your business would like to also contribute to or sponsor the Clipper City Rail Trail, please contact Geordie Vining, Senior Project Manager!