Plan for Ashuelot Rail Trail: A Pilot Project

Plan Components

Plan for Ashuelot Rail Trail without appendices (PDF)

Appendix A - Existing Conditions Technical Memos (PDF)

Appendix B - Public Outreach Technical Memos (PDF)

Appendix C - Project Advisory Committee Meeting Agendas & Minutes (PDF)

Implementation Plan Interactive Map

Implementation Plan Spreadsheet (Excel)

Overview

Rail trails have long been recognized as a way to improve local and regional opportunities related to transportation, recreation, economic development, and public health. A variety of individuals and groups take on maintenance of rail trails, and they are enjoyed routinely by residents and visitors alike. Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC) sees value in developing a plan which addresses the future of our region's rail trails.

Plan for Ashuelot Rail Trail is a planning effort aimed to address challenges and opportunities along the approximately 21.5-mile stretch of trail between Hinsdale and Keene, New Hampshire. The project will involve collecting data on existing trail use, conditions and amenities and conducting meetings among municipalities and other stakeholders to both share information and consider maintenance, connectivity, safety, and coordinated improvement to the trail. We hope that the project will result in a common vision for Ashuelot Rail Trail to better inform volunteer groups, local government and regional and statewide transportation planning.

Meetings and Outreach

Draft Plan (Adobe PDF version)

Project Advisory Committee Meeting #5 (December 17, 2019)

Agenda

Minutes

Existing Conditions Assessment Technical Memos

Literature Review - Inventory of existing trail-related plans, policies, laws, or other documents.
Base Mapping/Inventory - Synopsis of trail-related mapping activities. Accompanied by a trail map booklet.
Bicycle/Pedestrian Collisions - Inventory of recent vehicle crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists at or near roadway trail crossings.
Bicycle/Pedestrian Counts - Overview of bicycle and pedestrian counting activities conducted to date and summary of collected data.
Trail Condition Assessment - Summary of methods and findings from a trails condition assessment conducted by Keene State College students, in consultation with SWRPC, municipal staff and others.
Programs Analysis - An inventory of recent or ongoing programming that makes use of the Ashuelot Rail Trail, a review of example on-trail programming taking place in other areas of the country and an overview of academic and professional literature regarding the health benefits of active recreation and on-trail programs.
Economic Benefit Analysis - High-level analysis and literature review covering types of economic benefits, relevant studies and methodologies to consider as part of a more detailed study or data collection initiative.
Policy Integration - Analysis of municipal complete streets policies and complete streets planning and design guidelines.

Public Outreach Technical Memos

Online Resident Survey - Analysis of results from the online resident survey.
Municipal Survey - Summary of responses from municipal staff and officials focusing on information relative to plans for improvements, needs, promotion, land use issues, previous planning and more.
Key Stakeholder Group Survey - Summary of responses from an online survey sent to organized user groups covering a range of trail-related issues.
Intercept Survey - Summary of data collected from in-person surveys with trail users conducted in each of the four communities.
Open House - Description of open house activities and implementation, along with compilation of collected input.