Photos courtesy Cross Vermont Trail Association
Vermont Business Magazine The Cross Vermont Trail Association announces that it has met a $75,000 challenge grant awarded by the Northern Borders Regional Commission in 2021 to build the last phase of the Winooski Bridge Project that will extend the trail from the new bridge to Route 14 in East Montpelier.
With donations from over 125 local individuals at the end of last year and a recently announced $75,000 grant from the State of Vermont, the CVTA has raised the $200,000 needed to complete the trail on both sides of the new Winooski Bridge built last summer.
In all, the trail will go from the existing Montpelier Bike Path at Gallison Hill Road in Montpelier, up to U-32 School, then over the new Winooski Bridge and upstream along the Winooski River, finally cutting cross country to join the existing rail trail at Route 14.
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has awarded the CVTA $75,000 from its Enhancement of Recreational Stewardship and Access (ERSA) grant program.
The intent of this funding is to "improve trail accessibility for this generation and generations to come, to help ensure a healthy economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, with development rooted in environmental quality."
CVTA Executive Director Greg Western expressed gratitude to the many private donors and the public funders. Western said the work to build the trail will take two years.
While much of the work will be done with small earth-moving machinery, Western said, “There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved, especially building wooden bridges and other basic carpentry projects.”
People can find a project map and volunteer opportunities at https://crossvermont.org.
The trail will be built using standards that make it accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Summary of Upcoming Cross Vermont Trail Project Construction Schedule:
1.) Winooski Bridge and the trail on either side of it, out to the new Route 2 trailhead, will open late spring 2022.
2.) Side trails connecting to U-32 School and providing access along the river, and a new trailhead at Gallison Hill Rd, will open later in 2022.
3.) The rest of the trail will be built across East Montpelier in 2023, connecting to Route 14 where the existing trail begins on the old rail bed.
The mission of the Cross Vermont Trail Association is to create and maintain a multi-use trail across Vermont through the Winooski and Wells River Valleys between Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River.
Our vision is to make trails inviting for people of all ages and abilities, providing safe travel to desired destinations, convenient places for healthy activity, and a permanent greenway for easy local access to the natural world—across Vermont!
