Progress & Gaps — New Haven & Northampton Canal Greenway
As of September 2024, around 81% of the NHNCG is open to travel on an off-road route. The remainder has not been constructed and traversing these gaps requires on-road travel. See Routes & Trail Guides for on-road suggestions.
These are the gaps with approximate mileage:
From the coast in New Haven to Hillhouse Ave in New Haven (1.5 miles)
Between Aircraft Rd in Southington and Northwest Dr in Plainville (5 miles)
From the Westfield River until Coleman Rd in Southampton (12 miles)
The information presented here is a curated selection of press releases, town reports, and observations.
Please send updates to info@nhncg.org.
For a table showing mileages completed in all towns, see Greenway Mileage
Approximately 1.5 miles remain to be completed, from Long Wharf Drive north to Hillhouse Ave. Construction began in August 2021 with some significant sections almost complete. No opening date has been announced.
May 13, 2024: Canal Trail Work Resumes On Orange Street https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/canal_trail_work_resumes_on_orange
Not Dated: City of New Haven: https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/city-plan/plans-projects/farmington-canal-greenway This article has a good map showing path of route through southern New Haven
Aug 18, 2021: Kent Pierce, WTNH: Construction started on the Farmington Canal Trail in New Haven 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/
All of Southington is complete except for approximately 0.7 miles, from Aircraft Road to Town Line Road which is delayed due to a right-of-way issue.
Sept 2024: Construction is complete for the section from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road and open to use. This section enables trail users to go under a Rt 84 using the route of the old rail line.
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
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 includes a parking area, is complete.
Sept 2024: A suggested on-road route between Aircraft Road in Southington and Northwest Drive in Plainville can be seen at https://www.greenway.org/states/connecticut and https://maps.app.goo.gl/2KyaDuPVL2unVGUF6
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
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. This is the long-awaited elevated section of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. It includes the rehabilitation/replacement of five railroad bridges in downtown Westfield.
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/
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 begin 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
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.