Scytheville Underpass (AKA Slayton Hill Road Overpass)
The Mascoma River Greenway Construction Project will be installing bicycle and pedestrian railing on the Slayton Hill Overpass, requiring street closure under the overpass on October 11 – 13th. 7am to 5pm daily.
(Historically, this area of Lebanon was known as Scytheville; there was once a scythe factory on Slayton Hill Road. This bridge was known as the Scytheville Underpass.)
Today was a beautiful warm fall day – great for exploring the western end of the MRG. We accessed the trail from the back of the Price Chopper parking lot on the Miracle Mile where a dirt road descends from an opening in the trees. And who should we meet but Paul Coats, Director of Lebanon Recreation and Parks, and, with Frank Gould, main mover on the MRG project.
Paul had come to see if a pile of rails had been trucked away – they had. Progress! (Note the new rock fill on the left to prevent erosion.)
We set off westward toward the Terri Dudley Bridge, currently the west end of the trail.
The trail is wide and graded looking west.
Loop – straight leads to bridge over Mascoma River and the Terri Dudley Bridge – Right leads down to the river
We took the left fork and headed west.
A remnant from the past: this is an old railroad loading station for whatever business was above it on Mechanic St. There used to be a set of side tracks leading to the structure.
Looking Westward
Bridge over Mascoma River with Terri Dudley Bridge (RT 4) overhead
Instead of crossing the bridge, we looped to the right heading back eastward to follow along the river.
We kept spotting an elusive cormorant paddling and diving here.
Cormorant territory
Eventually, we passed our entry point and kept heading east.
Deer tracks!
Addi, Pidi, and Daisy
We met Addi walking her dogs, Pidi and Daisy. They are all frequent walkers on the MRG. (An unfortunate encounter with an aggressive driver on a road walk has spooked Pidi into fear of walking on roads.) They have easy access to the trail from home; Addi’s husband cross-country skied the MRG to work in downtown Lebanon about a dozen times last winter!
Fill and grading has helped eliminate some of the wet areas on this part of the trail . . . but eventually, the dry areas became more narrow. Addi and her pups continued eastward to check the condition of the blocked bridge over the Mascoma River. (The front page photo of today’s Valley News featured work being done on that bridge.) Addi agreed to taking a photo of the bridge as we rested on a pile of ties.
Addi & pups continue eastward
We chatted with this biker who told us how much safer he feels on the trail as compared to roads. He was pleased with how his bike was handling here.
Addi returned with this photo of the bridge over the Mascoma River (looking eastward.) Upon completion of this bridge work, the trail will be clear from the pocket park by the tunnel (behind Goss-Logan Insurance) in downtown Leb to the Terri Dudley Bridge.
Heading westward back to starting point.
This part of the trail was impassable just a few weeks ago. There’s work to be done but we’re getting there!
These stone retaining walls had us marveling at the effort involved in creating this railroad line without the equipment available today: the cutting of the stone, the transport, the buttressing of the hillsides . . . beautifully built and made to last.
And here we are back at the dirt road leading up to the parking lot. Shoes a little muddy, but impressed by all that has been accomplished. Glad to know the blocked bridge over the Mascoma is progressing and that soon this part of the trail will be graded and hard-packed . . . and the eastern section is scheduled to be paved this month!
(Thanks to Polly Gould for the walk and many of the photos.)
Posted in Progress!
Kiosk at intersection of Mascoma, High, and Mechanic streets
Today was hot and humid; we welcomed the shade and dappled light at the entrance to the trail at the junction of Mascoma, Mechanic and High streets.
Walking to the overpass near APD, the trail was wide and nicely graded.
Heavy equipment to accomplish the job
A tangle of vines in the trees.
Walnuts on the ground alerted us to a black walnut tree with nuts high above .
We were attracted to the bright red berries of the Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcmara) along the trail. The berries are toxic.
It is also called Climbing Nightshade, appropriate, given how high the plant had climbed.
Woody Nightshade /Climbing Nightshade
Mile Marker 139
Erected before the Civil War by the new Northern Railroad to mark distances from Concord to White River Jct., the mile markers along the rails were relocated when the line was absorbed by the Boston & Maine in 1887. The posts then ticked off the 143 miles from Mile 0.00 at B – North Station, Boston – to the terminus at WRJ – Mile 142.92 in VT. (Thanks to the Northern Rail Trail site for this information.)
Through the trees, we could see Jake’s on Mechanic Street, a destination for some of the walkers we encountered on the trail. Proximity to Mechanic Street made us realize that, on weekdays, walkers could walk one way on the trail and then hop an Advance Transit bus for the return trip.
A number of homes on Mascoma Street have easy access to the trail.
We encountered several walkers and bikers on the trail. Near our destination, the overpass by APD, we met a woman with her dog “Willow”; they are frequent walkers here. She used to walk the tracks all the way to West Lebanon and is very eager for the bridge over the Mascoma River to be repaired, and for the MRG to be completed. Aren’t we all?! It is exciting to see we are well on our way.
Looking east toward our starting point, happy with the progress on this lovely trail.
Looking eastward toward the intersection of Mechanic, Mascoma, and High streets
Posted in Progress!
Take a little walk with us to see the progress on the MRG from the Mechanic St./Mascoma St. overpass by Alice Peck Day Hospital (APD), across the bridge over Interstate 89 (in back of Longacre’s) and up to the first bridge that crosses the Mascoma River (east of Timken.)
This is the MRG as it crosses the overpass by APD (you can see a car on the right heading under the bridge.) Tracks and rails have been removed. A safety rail will be installed here.
Heading west, a safety rail is partially installed by a small pond. Rails and tracks are gone and the trail has been widened and graded.
The approach to the I-89 bridge
I-89 bridge
Much of the trail is now broad and graded like this.
This is the bridge over the Mascoma River. It is currently in poor repair and blocked, and therefore, the end of our westward walk. Lots of work needed here! Progress has been made at the far end of this bridge, and we will report on that progress soon.
Looking east from the blocked Mascoma River bridge notice the post hole digger. Such a major project!
Heading back east, we encountered these mountain bikers who have already discovered the enjoyment of the improved trail! (We also saw a number of walkers – commuting to Renihan Meadows?)
Back at our starting point off of Mascoma Street, by the overpass, some of the equipment and materials being used. This little walk has impressed us with the scale of this project and how much has been accomplished. We will soon bring you up to date on the western end of the trail.
Posted in Progress!
MRG weed-whacking behind Goss Logan
MASCOMA RIVER GREENWAY: UPDATE
JUNE 2017
What an incredible experience it has been working to create the Mascoma River Greenway, a railtrail connecting downtown Lebanon and the Northern Railtrail to West Lebanon. We have come a long way, and, while there is still some distance to go, you supporters should know the latest MRG news.
The construction work was put out to bid this spring and the city has accepted the bid from Willey Earthmoving LLC, a local, Windsor, VT, company. The work should begin in a few weeks and continue until completed. We are pleased to be doing business locally and the bid came in less than expected.
As Willey prepares for constructing, the railroad has been removing the rails from the corridor. They are currently being stacked beside the trail for later pick-up. As the rails go away, the city will be removing the ties so the rail bed is cleared for Willey to move in with their equipment.
When this section is completed it will be paved from the High St. intersection moving west to behind the Miracle Mile, under the Dudley Bridge, and connecting to Glen Road.
This is an exciting next step! Thank you to all our local supporters – contributors, volunteers, and, simply, friends.
As mention above, there is still more to do. There is still the issue of connecting the Northern Railtrail to the MRG. Over the next months the city will be working to provide the best opportunity for that connection to happen. While I, personally, would like to see the tunnel preserved and used, there is an alternative using a trail bridge which would go under the Rte 120 bridge and into the pocket park. A neat concept, too.
There is also connecting the skate park in West Lebanon with the Power House Mall. A path already exists, but can be improved to make it bike/ped friendly. There will be some volunteer work on that section.
There is also volunteer maintenance we can accomplish now. The pocket park by the tunnel and the Mascoma River needs to be trimmed as well as the MRG bridge over the Mascoma at the same site.
After working on the park we can weed-whack some of the trail west of High Street intersection. I’m looking at Wednesday and Thursday, this week and next to get that done. That would be June 21 and 22 and June 28 and 29 beginning at 4pm. If you can come to help, let me know at Go2teach@comcast.net. If you can, bring what tools are needed — weed-whacker, loppers, gloves, other ideas. Hope some of you can make it. We will have some tools there.
Frank Gould, Co-chair Mascoma River Greenway Coalition
Posted in Next Steps, Work Day
By Tim Camerato
Valley News Staff Writer
Summer work should allow cyclists, runners and walkers to make use of the 4-mile path that will connect downtown and West Lebanon, said Frank Gould, who is co-chairman of the volunteer group working on the greenway. But the results of a downtown visioning survey could mean the path shares the roads downtown rather than going through a discontinued rail tunnel.
“I personally believe it is not a safe thing to do in the downtown area,” Gould said of possible road-sharing plans. “I think most of my committee agrees with that.”
Gould has been working on the greenway’s construction since leaving the state Legislature about four years ago. The idea’s been kicked around for decades, he said, but it wasn’t until the state offered use of an east-west railroad bed that work could begin.
Working alongside the city’s recreation and parks department, volunteers held workdays along the trail and raised more than $2.3 million for construction and paving.
Gould said their mission is to allow for easier movement between downtown and West Lebanon without having to worry about traffic or main roads. When Lebanon first became a city more than 50 years ago, he said, pedestrians didn’t have any easy options to go between the two neighborhoods, and that’s a challenge the city is still facing today.
“It’s going to tie our community from east to west,” Gould said.
Regardless of what the city decides for downtown, the proposed trail will begin where the Northern Rail Trail ends at Spencer Street. From there, it will follow the railroad bed, cross the Mascoma River several times and will come to an end near Seminary Hill. Paving is slated to begin next year, and the city has committed to plowing one side and will set cross-country ski tracks on the other.
But proposals for Lebanon’s downtown could hamper the greenway’s goal of being a separate space for pedestrians and cyclists. Of three alternative plans, only one allows for use of the rail tunnel.
Lebanon’s visioning study was introduced partially because, in 2014, the tunnel was dilapidated and in need of repairs. A city-owned parking lot above the tunnel was closed that fall and the city signed a contract for more than $300,000 with Massachusetts-based consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin to seek input about the future of downtown.
Working hand-in-hand, consultants and officials hosted a series of community discussions and released an online survey. More than 800 comments were gathered, which allowed the consultants to create three alternatives for downtown.
All three were shown to the public during a February meeting, according to Lebanon Planning and Zoning Director David Brooks. But even with all of the comments, the city still doesn’t feel that there’s a preferred option that most people feel comfortable with, he said.
Brooks said the city put consultants in a “holding pattern” and are asking people to participate in a second survey. He’s also making presentations and giving updates to city boards and businesses.
Gould is hoping that residents will respond to the survey and choose to keep the rail tunnel.
“The tunnel is paramount for safe transit through downtown Lebanon,” he said.
People can find the survey on the city’s website at planning.lebnh.net. Brooks is also scheduled to speak about visioning at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Planning Board meeting in the City Hall Council Chambers.
Volunteers with the Mascoma River Greenway will also be presenting final construction plans from 5:30 to 7 p.m on April 7 in the City Hall Council Chambers.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.
Posted in Uncategorized
The City Council will be talking about investing in tunnel repairs on Wednesday, April 19th at 7pm in Lebanon Council Chambers. Those interested in connecting the Northern Rail Trail to the Mascoma River Greenway via the tunnel might want to attend this meeting. See “Next Steps for Mall Tunnel Discussion” under New Business below.
7:00PM
CALL TO ORDER: The April 19, 2017 Lebanon City Council Meeting is hereby called to order.
Thanks to generous Co-op customers and the Pennies for Change program, the Mascoma River Greenway has received $2,446 from the Co-op Food Stores. The Pennies for Change program is a charitable giving program; customers can donate their change to community organizations by rounding up their order to the next full dollar amount. In the month of March, $24,446 was raised and donated to that month’s selected Upper Valley non-profits. A wonderful way to support and strengthen our many local non-profit organizations.
Posted in Other Good News
From Sunday September 24 Valley News
The Mascoma River Greenway 