Let’s build a Girl Brook Path that welcomes everyone!
With each design and funding phase, our Town is one step closer to an accessible trail connecting neighborhoods, schools, parks and people!
Costs are based on estimated costs to build, and may be updated as the project goes out for bid. Tax deductible donations to construct an accessible Girl Brook Path can be made to:
The Town of Hanover
41 S Main St
Hanover, NH 03755
memo: Girl Brook Path
PATH FUNDING UPDATE 12/8/2025
The Town has been working on the Girl Brook three-season path project since 2020 and the Town of Hanover recently put the project out for bid. Bids came in between $696,000 and $798,000, compared to the engineer’s estimate of $615,000.
For the full construction phase, the total funding requirement is $767,500, broken down as follows:
$700,000 – Contractor
$44,500 – Engineering services
$15,000 – Intern support
$8,000 – Materials testing
This project was generated by a federal earmark. The Town has $212,620 remaining on our PO, and the State’s remaining share is $252,480, for a combined available total of $465,100. This leaves a shortfall of $301,400 to complete the project. To address this gap, staff is preparing a CIP submittal.
PATH DESIGN UPDATE 5/30/2025: An improved accessible Girl Brook path, open to walking and rolling and cross country skiing in winter, will extend from Reservoir Road to Verona Avenue by Willow Springs. The Town has secured the necessary Right-of-Way easement commitment from Dartmouth and has slightly relocated the treadway so that no other easements are required. The designs drawings are being updated to reflect the recent treadway relocation. We'll share them when they are available.
PATH FUNDING UPDATE 5/30/2025: The revised construction cost is $639,325, and the project total is estimated at $762,025. The total of town share would be $412,000. The Town has encumbered $237,000 and will need to raise an additional $175,000 by September.
Follow the project history below:
If you have comments or concerns about the Girl Brook Path improvements, write to HanoverBikeWalk@gmail.com or communicate directly with our Town Manager, Robert Houseman at robert.houseman@hanovernh.org
Preliminary Design Submission
44015_Hanover Girl Brook_PD Plans.pdfRequest for Proposals (RFP)
Posting for RFQ (1).pdfBid
000_Ad for Bids for Const Contract Girl Brook Trail 44015.pdfSeptember 30, 2024 Stantec Engineering Girl Brook Path improvement plus alternate routes.
Read the September 30, 2024 Stantec Engineering Study about the Girl Brook Path
2024.9.30 179450927_Stantec Engineering Study_092324.pdfVisit the Girl Brook Path map, with potential alternate routes marked in orange, posted 2024.9.10 at the Howe Library Cafe!
Watch the 2024.9.9 Girl Brook Path presentation and Q&A with Stantec Consultant Dave Mcnamara, Hanover Department of Public Works engineer Christina Hall, and Interim Town Manager Rob Houseman.
GMT20240909-195620_Recording_1920x1080.mp4PUBLIC MEETING September 9th, 2024, 4:00-4:30 PM
Monday September 9th, 2024, 4:00-4:30 PM in the 2nd floor board room in Town Hall - Consultants present design solutions for Girl Brook Path and conduct a questions and answer session. An open house style presentation of design options also allows people an opportunity to consider potential plans and provide feedback.
Watch the 2024.5.13 Girl Brook Path presentation and Question and Answer sessions with Stantec Consultants.
PUBLIC MEETING Monday May 13th, 2023, 4 - 4:45 PM
In the Mayer Room of the Howe Library, staff presented the current concept.
The Girl Brook Path concept connects neighborhoods along Girl Brook to Reservoir Road.
The project has a long history extending back more than a decade. The Girl Brook Path is a segment along the proposed Cross Town Multi-Use Path from the 2012 Hanover Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan highlighted on the map below in yellow. The Girl Brook Path segment connects Verona to Reservoir Road.
Hanover, April 14, 2022
Hanover, N.H. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) visited the Hanover Multi-Use Path with town officials and discussed the $350,000 she secured for the project in the government funding package recently signed into law. These federal dollars will be used to increase transportation options and improve public safety for children, families, and seniors by connecting a busy elementary school and nursery school to other town path systems.
“Expanding commuting and recreational opportunities is critical to improving economic competitiveness in New Hampshire and helping our local communities become more family-friendly,” said Rep. Kuster. “I was proud to support funding for the Hanover Multi-Use Path to create more transportation options for Granite Staters living in the area and improve public safety for children, families, and seniors. I’m excited to see this project come to fruition and support families in Hanover and the Upper Valley region.”
"The Town of Hanover is honored to be a recipient of funding for our Multi-Use Path project to connect the Dartmouth campus and adjacent neighborhoods via an off-road, accessible path to our elementary and middle schools, enabling school-age children and members of the community to walk, bike, snowshoe, and ski to and from the schools as well as to enjoy this off-road recreational resource,” said Julia Griffin, Hanover Town Manager. “As a bicycle and pedestrian-focused community, we continue to look for opportunities to enhance these accessible pathway options for our citizens and visitors alike."
Under the Community Project Funding Request process for the 117th Congress, which was included in the bipartisan omnibus package, Rep. Annie Kuster secured resources for 10 Community Projects in the Second District.
The Girl Brook Shared Use Path should connect
walking, biking and cross country skiing from the
vicinity of the Ray School over to E. Wheelock. It’s
recommended that this be a three season ADA
path wide enough for walking and biking. Access
to the path also needs to be considered so that
traffic-calmed, safe ways are designed for people
of all ages and abilities to cross Reservoir and
Wheelock to use the path.
Letters of Support
Dartmouth - Letter of Support.pdfSAU70 School District - Letter of Support.pdfFord Sayre - Letter of Support.pdfHanove Bike Walk - Letter of Support.pdfHanover High School - Letter of Support.pdfHanover Parks & Recreation - Letter of Support.pdfPhysical Education Teacher Clare Herman - Letter of Support.pdfRichmond Middle School Parents (3) - Letters of Support.pdfSustainable Hanover Committee - Letter of Support.pdfUpper Valley Business Alliance - Letter of Support.pdfUpper Valley Cycling Club - Letter of Support.pdfUpper Valley Mountain Bike Association - Letter of Support.pdfUpper Valley Running Club - Letter of Support.pdfVital Communities - Letter of Support.pdfBrook Hollow Condominium Association - Letter of Support.pdfRip Road Neighborhood - Letter of Support.pdfSafe Routes to School Plan, 2013
Girl Brook Trail. The Girl Brook Trail is an unimproved path that connects between Verona Road and Reservoir Road. The trail is on a sewer easement over land owned by Dartmouth College.
Girl Brook Trail: Reservoir Road to Verona Road: A ten-foot wide path from Verona Road to Reservoir and Curtiss Roads. Crushed stone over a geotextile base (see typical detail section). One bike/ped golf course type bridge – total span of 44’ could be broken into two 10’ sections (boardwalk) and a 24’ bridge section with handrails. With placement of fill at the Verona Road entrance we estimate the trail can be developed to an approximate 8% grade over 180 feet of run. The trail crossing of the brook would be moved to align better with the sewer 6 easement.
Landscaped sitting area at Verona Road with benches.
Note: the trail alignment would need to be shifted west of its current location to line up with Curtiss Road. It is assumed that a sidewalk on Verona Road from East Wheelock to Willow Spring will be constructed as is currently planned.
Time Frame: Mid-Term Estimated Cost: $ 234,800
Implementation Lead: Town of Hanover, Dartmouth College
Pedestrian Bicycle Master Plan, 2012
Walk Bike Network Map
Pedestrian Bicycle Master Plan, 2012
Verona Road. This area is a focus of higher density housing, including the Brook Hollow, Courtyard, and Willow Spring complexes. This is also a neighborhood with a busy elementary school bus stop and a nearby nursery school. At Verona and Willow Spring there is an entrance to the Girl Brook path. Residents include high numbers of children and seniors and steady pedestrian activity. The street characteristics include vertical and horizontal curves with poor sight distances which combine to make this an area of concern for pedestrians. A sidewalk should be constructed along Verona Road from Wheelock Street to the intersection of Willow Spring and Butternut Lane on the east side of the street, and from Willow Spring to Wheelock Street on the west side of Verona Road.
Valley / Verona / Girl Brook. Valley Road / Verona Road corridor provides a relatively level neighborhood connection to Park Street. As described above, a sidewalk is recommended for Verona Road. Potential traffic calming along Valley and Verona Road and an improved crossing of Whee lock Street should be considered as well. The Town should work with neighbors to develop a plan.
A shared use path along Girl Brook which would connect Hanover neighborhoods with the Ray and Richmond Schools and Storrs Pond is potentially a key link in the local bike/ped network and has the potential to encourage greater bicycling to school. The corridor is a sewer easement and a public access easement would need to be negotiated with Dartmouth College.
