Using a $450,000 grant for engineering and design work, plans for a proposed 5-mile multi-use trail between Windham and Westbrook have been finalized and submitted to the Maine Department of Transportation.
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| An artist's conceptual drawing shows what the Mountain Division Trail will eventually look like once fully completed and stretching from Fryeburg to Westbrook running through Windham. COURTESY IMAGE |
The purpose of the project is to extend the Mountain Division Trail from its current end point at Route 202 in Windham and extend it about 5.02 miles south to Bridge Street in Westbrook. Doing this will create a continuous near 10-mile off-road bicycle and pedestrian transportation route running from Standish to Westbrook.
Once funded by MDOT, work on the project will include new pavement, gravel, curbing, drainage, signing and striping, retaining walls, fencing, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons located at the trail crossings on Bridge Street in Westbrook, Depot Street in Windham), and Main Street (Route 202) in Windham.
New plan proposals include installing a prefabricated steel pedestrian bridge over Mallison Falls Road with a structural subconsultant hired to complete the design of the bridge. MDOT will hire a bridge firm to evaluate the Inkhorn Brook and Colley Wright Brook stone arch culverts and impacts to the project will be further evaluated as trail work progresses.
The final plan version was submitted to MDOT in July 2024 and recommends bicycle trail design speeds between 12 to 30 mph, with a speed of 18-mph being generally accepted in relatively flat areas. Because of the adjacent near rail of the railroad track, plans call for the near edge of the trail to be set back a minimum of 15 feet from the near rail.
Plans also propose introducing vertical curves to minimize drainage and property impacts, as well as to improve the trail construction. It prefers that the trail width be 10 feet although reduced to 8 feet minimum for short distances where a physical barrier or right of way does not allow for the full width of the trail. The proposed shoulder widths in the plan are 3 to 5 feet.
According to plan specifics, the subgrade and surface of the trail will be graded to drain away from the rail line unless adequate drainage is provided by the trail developer to prevent trail runoff and providing that there are no impediments to normal rail line maintenance.
Equestrian use will be allowed on the proposed trail and snowmobile passage may be accommodated by removing the middle bollard of the trail during winter months.
The proposal includes sidewalk reconstruction along Main Street (Route 202), Bridge Street, Depot Street, Pierce Street, and Stillwater Drive and rectangular rapid flashing beacons to be installed at the mid-block crossing located for Main Street (Route 202) in Windham, Depot Street in Windham and Bridge Street in Westbrook.
In November, voters approved the $30 million Maine Trails Bond with more than 55 percent of the vote, and funding for the new multi-use trail could be derived from that. Starting this year, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands will administer $30 million over a four-year period or about $7.5 million per year in competitive grant funding to towns, organizations, and clubs to support the design, maintenance, and construction of trails, prioritizing accessibility and sustainable design standards. It provides equal access for all types of trail projects, including for motorized trail use, non-motorized uses, and multi-use trails; and to help leverage other sources of public and private funding to support trail projects in Maine. <
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