Progress & Gaps
As of July 2022, around 78% of the NHNCG is open to travel on a defined route. The gaps consist of sections that currently do not have a defined route, or have a defined route but the route is not complete and open. Until each gap is complete, traversing each gap necessitates on street travel.
The information presented here is not definitive.
Please send updates to info@nhncg.org.
For a table showing mileages completed in all towns, see Greenway Mileage
New Haven, CT
Approximately 1.6 miles remain to be completed, from Long Wharf Drive north to Temple Street. Construction began in August 2021 with completion anticipated in Spring of 2024 .
City of New Haven: https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/city-plan/plans-projects/farmington-canal-greenway
Aug 18, 2021, Kent Pierce, WTNH: https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/construction-started-on-the-farmington-canal-trail-in-new-haven/
Sept 15, 2021, Anastasia Hufham, Yale News: https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2021/09/15/city-breaks-ground-on-final-stretch-of-farmington-canal-heritage-trail-in-new-haven/
Southington, CT
All of Southington is complete except for approximately 4.6 miles, from Lazy Lane to Town Line Road. Originally planned as one project, construction will now be done in two sections. Phase 1 is from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road. Construction bids for this section have been received, a contractor has been chosen, and construction began in August 2023. Phase 2 is delayed due to a right-of-way issue in this section. See Plainville for an alternate route.
Aug 2023 Construction has begun on the 1.27-mile stretch between from Lazy Lane and Aircraft Road. https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/hartford/construction-underway-to-close-gap-in-farmington-canal-heritage-trail-in-southington Completion is anticipated in August 2024.
June 26, 2023, Michael Lemanski, Patch Staff: Southington Council OKs Contract For New Hiking/Biking Trail https://patch.com/connecticut/southington/southington-council-oks-contract-new-hiking-biking-trail
June 12 2023 As paraphrased from the Southington Town Council meeting minutes of June 12, 2023: The CT DOT received the authority to move forward with Southington phase 1 which runs from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road. Now it's a matter of mobilization
June 2023 Bids have been received for the phase 1 section, though all received bids are over the allocated amount. This means that a some adjustments may be needed. Updates will be posted here when publicly available.
Jan 17, 2022, Jesse Buchanan, Record-Journal staff: Completion of trail work waiting on Yarde deal
https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/Southington-trail-completion-waiting-on-deal-with-Yarde-Metals.html
Jan 13, 2021, The Farmington canal heritage trail from lazy lane to town line road Southington, Connecticut. State project no. 131-203 https://files4.1.revize.com/southingtonct/Planning%20&%20Zoning%20Dept/meetings/020421%20CC/IW%201287%20Revised%20Plans%201.13.21.pdf
Jan 6, 2021, Jesse Buchanan, Record-Journal staff: https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/Southington-looking-to-complete-trail-through-town-this-year.html
Plainville, CT
All of Plainville's approximately 5.3 miles, from Town Line Road to Northwest Drive, remains to be completed. This will be done in three stages starting with the southern section. This first stage is currently in design and the detailed route is being determined. A very short section at the Plainville/Farmington Town line, which does include a parking area, is complete. An on street route option that spans the Southington-Plainville gap can be seen at https://www.greenway.org/states/connecticut and at https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/41.6573/-72.8886&layers=C
June 2023 Plainville is finally moving forward again, and a public meeting has been announced for Phase II on July 20th at 7:00PM. CTDOT has a website up: https://portal.ct.gov/DOTPlainville109-176
Aug 2022: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program awarded $16.3 million to fund design and construction of two connected trails in the municipalities of Plainville and New Britain. The first trail (section) will fill the last major gap in the Connecticut NHNCG. The second trail will connect the NHNCG to the CTfastrak trail in New Britain.
Aug 16, 2022, Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant (this is behind a paywall): https://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-biz-farmington-river-canal-funding-20220816-fkjhqnmavng3hm256ai5bgpcfu-story.html
Gap Closure Trail Study February 2018
https://crcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Gap-Closure-Trail-Study_FCHT_Final_ForWebsite.pdf
Westfield, MA
Approximately 4.8 miles in Westfield remains to be completed. There is currently a gap from the small park just north of the Westfield River to the Southampton town line. See Southampton (below) about bypassing the gap in Westfield and all of Southampton.
Sept 7, 2023 The central section, measuring just under one mile, officially opened on Sept 7 This section starts just south of Main Street and goes to the north side of the Westfield River.
Aug 28, 2028 MassDOT scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Westfield MA for the central section. This is the long-awaited elevated section of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. The ceremony will be on Thursday, Sept 7, 2023 starting at 3:30 p.m. It will be held at the Main Street bridge. This section is under a mile, and it includes the rehabilitation/replacement of five railroad bridges in downtown Westfield It begins just south of Main Street and ends at the Westfield River railroad bridge.
Dec 15, 2022 The problem with the bridge over Elm Street is resolved, and the section from Main Street to the Westfield River is expected to open in Spring 2023.
Dec 15, 2022 , Peter Currier, The Westfield News: Westfield rail trail’s downtown extension on track for spring opening (story behind paywall)
Aug 24, 2021, Mike Dobbs, Westfield News: https://thewestfieldnews.com/final-downtown-section-of-bike-trail-to-be-completed-in-the-fall/
Southampton, MA
Approximately 3.7 miles in Southampton remains to be built. There is approximately 0.2 mile of paved trail from Coleman Road to the Easthampton town line. MA DOT approved the trail project to build 3.5 miles, which may being in 2026.
Town Greenway Committee https://www.townofsouthampton.org/government/boards-and-committees/greenway-committee
Google Maps on-road route northbound:
https://goo.gl/maps/K4P66TT1gX87oKmX7
Google Maps on-road route southbound:
https://goo.gl/maps/xiKQR73utLVvDjsx5
Nov 24, 2023, Maddie Fabian, Daily Hampshire Gazette: Southampton Greenway trail advancing, at long last
Nov 2024 MA DOT officially approve the trail project with construction starting in 2026. The proposed trail will go 3.5 miles along an old rail path from Rt 10 just north of Brickyard Rd to Coleman Rd where it will meet the existing Manhan Rail Trail.
March 30, 2023 Greenway Rail Trail Project Design Timeline Update
After many years of planning and negotiating the Town acquired the Right of Way for the Greenway Rail Trail from the Pioneer Valley Railroad at the end of December 2022. The next steps in this project before it will be able to be constructed will be for the engineering design. The design steps alone will take 2-3 years to complete before the construction of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Path may be bid for construction.
https://www.townofsouthampton.org/government/boards-and-committees/greenway-committee/greenway-rail-trail-project-design-timeline-update
Jan 1, 2023, Emily Thurlow, Daily Hampshire Gazette: Southampton rail trail project gains steam
December 22, 2022 all the details were finalized and the official purchase of 4.25 miles took place. The town purchased all the land of the RR in Southampton--all the way to Westfield.
Spring - Summer 2022, Aaron Tauscher, Southampton Greenway Committee: Southampton is coordinating with its legal representation to complete the "railbanking" agreement. This is essentially how the town will acquire access to the land through an agreement with Pioneer Valley Railroad. A $300,000 MassTrails grant was recently awarded for the design, engineering, and permitting of the multi-use pathway. We're hoping to hear results on other grant applications throughout the summer as well, so fingers crossed there will be more good news in the near future. The state has also allocated roughly $6.5 million in construction funds from the Mass Transportation Improvement Plan for the Southampton corridor.
If all goes according to plan, we're hopeful that we'll have construction scheduled within the next few years. The Committee will share more concrete details with community members as progress is made, and community input will be vitally important to the next few steps of the project. Reaching out for the needs, desires, and questions of the town residents will help shape the design of the path, and we're looking forward to engaging with residents more in the near future using mailings, social media, and public meetings.
Town residents are always encouraged to watch the town's web page for Greenway meetings, and they can contact the committee at greenway@townofsouthampton.org
July 24, 2022, Emily Thurlow, Daily Hampshire Gazette: Southampton secures $300K to design 3.5-mile rail trail extension
April 6, 2021, Jacquelyn Voghel, Daily Hampshire Gazette: https://www.gazettenet.com/BikePath-hg-040621-39836754