The Mountain Division Rail Corridor’s upgrade to becoming 31 miles of recreational interim “trail until rail” is continuing with a new section from Standish to Fryeburg now in its final stages of planning. The Maine Department of Transportation is looking for public comments on the most recent feasibility study that depicts the plan and construction of the interim trail.
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| A completed five-mile section of the Mountain Division Trail in Windham is the most used trail west of Portland and features a gentle grade, wide trail width and is paved. A new study to extend the trail to run all the way from Standish to Fryeburg will help MDOT plan for this new section. COURTESY PHOTO |
“We need to hear from you, regarding what a trail will do for recreation, healthy lifestyles, and for the local economy,” says Doug Smith of Windham, President of the Mountain Division Alliance. “Your comments are important. Comments will be reviewed by the Maine Department of Transportation and potentially could be incorporated as changes to the feasibility study and plan.”
The study investigates converting a 31-mile section of the inactive Mountain Division Rail Corridor to a 10-foot wide “trail until rail” for use by pedestrians, cyclists, snowmobilers, and other non-motorized recreational users. The report covers the technical aspects of the trail design, conditions of the existing bridge structures along the section, trail alternatives through Portland Water District property and the evaluation of possible trail segments and sequence of construction.
The current study expands on previous feasibility studies that evaluated different uses of the rail corridor, including restoring train service and options for constructing a shared-use trail on the rail bed or adjacent to the rail bed, such as the current five-mile segment that runs through Windham, Gorham and Standish.
In 2007, HNTB Corporation wrote a report for the MDOT Office of Freight Transportation with the purpose to investigate potential uses of the rail corridor, including local freight service, commuter service to Portland, tourist and excursion service or a combination of some options. The rail options were not concluded as entirely feasible.
Then, in March 2021, a Rail Use Advisory Council was created to evaluate the feasibility of three other potential uses for the 31-miles of inactive rail corridor. These uses included rail only, trail only on the existing rail bed or rail with an adjacent trail.
In 2022, HNTB corporation conducted a feasibility study that resulted in the Rail Use Advisory Council voting for trail only on the existing rail bed, however, according to legislation 1133, any non-rail use of the Mountain Division corridor will be considered interim in nature and the corridor must be preserved for future rail use.
In July last summer, legislation 404 was passed by a super majority vote in the Maine Senate and House and was signed into law by Gov, Janet Mills, authorizing the removal of 31-miles of railroad track and the construction of an interim shared-use path from Standish to Fryeburg.
The 31-mile section in the Mountain Division Rail Corridor runs from Route 35 in Standish, through Baldwin, Hiram, Brownfield and ends at Route 113 in Fryeburg.
Smith, Vice President of the Mountain Trail Alliance, said that when all sections are completed, a rail trail will also run from Route 202 in Windham to Westbrook and is part of several active transportation projects and part of legislation sponsored for rail trails in other parts of the state.
A typical section of the shared-use path will be 10 feet wide, with 2 feet of grass on each side, and a fence or some sort of barrier in areas of steep side slopes. The path will be paved and constructed on the existing rail bed, with an exception for segments through Portland Water District property in Standish.
The path will also cross 25 roadways along the 31-mile corridor that will be evaluated for sight distance. Other technical aspects in the report includes bridge and culvert structures and repairs.
Most plans include challenges, in this case, the Mountain Division Rail Corridor passes through Portland Water District property along the south end of the project in Standish. PWD restricts recreational activity near Sebago Lake, and not only is the rail corridor too close to the lake to be a shared-use path, but MDOT does not have property rights for a trail in this section.
As a solution, MDOT proposes three alternative routes in the report, placing preference on alternative one, a three-and-a-half-mile route that is the most cost-effective option.
MDOT plans to complete the final report and study by September 2024, and to seek funding and have a potential engineering design of the first phase of interim trail in 2025 and beyond.
To help with the trail planning process, MDOT wants to hear from you on what you want to see when the Mountain Division Rail Trail is complete and how it can benefit you and your community. Comments can be submitted at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dec4a29e8e5d44d6a08dcd21c18f5099 <
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