Photo courtesy of FIGG
This is an artist’s rendering of the design for the new Interstate 91 bridge over the West River and Route 30 in Brattleboro.
PLEASE NOTE! The West River Trail, under the I-91 bridge, will be closed from 8/5/13 through 8/9/13 for conduit installation. Impacts may continue the following week as Green Mountain Power relocates an overhead utility line to an underground conduit. Thank you trail users, for your patience during this construction period.
Photo courtesy of FIGG
This is an artist’s rendering of the design for the new Interstate 91 bridge over the West River and Route 30 in Brattleboro.
Excerpts from the Brattleboro Reformer on Saturday July 20, 2013. Click HERE for full article.
A $60 million project to replace the aging, deteriorated Interstate 91 bridge over Route 30 and the West River is scheduled to begin later this year. The two companies charged with designing and building the new span say they have created a signature gateway bridge that would capture the beauty of Vermont.
The West River trail will serve as a construction access for the new bridge over Route 30, the companies said. However, administrators are pledging to “work diligently to maintain safe access through the trail right of way with minimal disturbances for trail users.” “Any construction activities near the trail will be communicated by means of mass e-mail, social media and physical postings at the trail entrances,” the companies said. “The safety of the public using the West River Trail during construction activities will not be compromised, and separation between construction traffic and (trail) users will be provided.” Temporary full closures of the trail will be necessary at certain times, but those will be coordinated with the Friends of the West River Trail, administrators said.
A reminder that PCL Construction and FIGG Engineering Co., the contractors that are doing the I-91 bridge work for VTrans, will be relocating the utility conduit by the bridge during the week of July 29th. The trail near the bridge will need to be closed while the work is being done. This will take 3-5 days, from Monday, July 29 through possibly Friday, August 2.
Please note!
PCL Construction and FIGG Engineering Co., the contractors that are doing the I-91 bridge work for VTrans, will be relocating the utility conduit by the bridge during the week of July 29th. The trail near the bridge will need to be closed while the work is being done. This will take 3-5 days, from Monday, July 29 through possibly Friday, August 2.
Next, the section of trail between the corn field and the bridge needs to be widened. If the permit is received, this work will take place August 5th and 6th. If the permit is not received, the widening will take place the last week in August.
In both cases, the trail north of the bridge will still be open. Happy Trails!
Many thanks to all volunteers and helpers for contributing precious time and hard labor to help improve and clean up the West River Trail. A tremendous amount of clean-up work has been accomplished on the trail! The major task of removing huge quantities of trail-side metal debris was achieved with the hands of many individuals and with the help of some very large equipment and machinery.
A big thanks to Jason Evans for removing the junk cars, repairing the access road from Rice Farm Road and doing some resurfacing work. Big thanks also to Bob Spencer of WSWMD for the donation of a dumpster, delivering it to the site and hauling away all the scrap metal and junk cars.
Mother-daughter runners on the lower section last summer. (Photo by Dede Cummings)
Please join us for a West River Trail Benefit Run/Walk on July 27, 2013 at 9:00 am.
This mass start, self-guided event will begin at the trailhead behind the Marina and follow the trail through picturesque natural settings which include beautiful views of the river.
Participants can run or walk as little or as much as they like*.
Mile markers on the first section (3.5 miles) to Rice Farm Road will help participants measure their progress.
A small group of runners will be running all the way to Townshend Dam.
There will be snacks and water near the Rice Farm Rd trailhead, and also upon return at the Marina trailhead.
A suggested donation of $20 will be collected upon sign-in at 8:30 the morning of the event. All proceeds will go to the Friends of the West River Trail for future trail development, enhancement and maintenance.
*Please note! This is a self-guided event and participants will need to return to the start on foot or make arrangements for a ride at the covered bridge in West Dummerston or beyond.
Please email questions to Tim Fleming at timspin@myfairpoint.net
Notice: The Vermont Agency of Transportation will soon be beginning the process of rebuilding the I-91 bridges. This work will continue for the next two years and will include improvements to the trail from the Marina kiosk to I-91. The trail will offer a great view of the bridge rebuilding process. Intermittent trail closures and trail re-routing will occur during this time. We will do our best to let you know when the trail is closed by posting on the kiosk and on our website: http://www.westrivertrail.org.
We are sorry for the inconvenience! For more information, contact us at lowersection@westrivertrail.org
Enjoy the West River Trail, but remember to use caution.
This is a wilderness trail.
Use the trail at your own risk.
Be aware of uneven footing and wildlife.
Be careful, have fun, enjoy the trail!
For more information, contact us at lowersection@westrivertrail.org
“A lifelong couch potato discovers the joys of sunshine and putting one foot in front of the other” — on the West River Trail in April.
A nice mention of the West River Trail from Maine on the blog Fresh Air for Dummies.
Calling all runners and race volunteers!! Please join us for the annual West River Trail Run on Saturday, June 1st! Please contact us for more information about the event or if you are interested in helping out! Hurry! Registration is limited and closes this Friday, May 24, 2013. Email us at info@thecollaborative.us or call us at 802.824.4200. See poster for more details and contact information.
The Collaborative will be hosting its first Trail Run on June 1st, 2013. This is an annual event to help the Collaborative to provide fun, healthy educational programs for youth in the Northshire and Mountain communities. Please check THE COLLABORATIVE WEBSITE for more information and to register.
Run along 11 of the 36 miles of the West River Trail in Southern Vermont. The run will start at Londonderry Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155 and end at Jamaica State Park, 48 Salmon Hole Lane, Jamaica, Vermont 05343
Relay teams of 3 or individuals are invited to participate. Runners have the option to ride the bus from Jamaica State Park back to the start after the awards ceremony. Relay teams are allowed one car during the run to transport. Teams are responsible for their own transportation.
Runner 1: 4 miles of flat trail. Runner is on the main rail-trail, which provides a more gentle grade and relatively easy travel. Trail follows the campground road through the campground and over a single-lane bridge crossing the Winhall River.
Runner 2: 4 miles of uphill and switchback, single trail. From the south trailhead of Winhall Campground, the surpack surface of the West River Trail continues along the river’s edge. Becoming a footpath through the forest, the single-track section of trail involves several short uphill jaunts and a variety of stream crossings. This is considered the most challenging section of the trail.
Runner 3: 3.5 miles of gradual downhill and flat trail. The switchback trail traverses back and forth across the steep face of the dam, arriving in the river valley as a footpath. The trail follows the river down stream, crossing the Cobb Bridge. The West River Trail continues along the old railroad grade. This section of trail is well-used and provides easy running with lovely views of the river.
To register, click HERE. Registration closes on Friday, May 24, 2013. Registrations may be mailed to The Collaborative c/o Trail Run, PO Box 32, South Londonderry, VT 05155. Email us at info@thecollaborative.us or call us at 802.824.4200.
The Run will start at 9 am on June 1st.
Packet-pick up:
May 31, 6-8:30pm: Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155
June 1, 7-7:45am: Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry, VT 05155
Thank you to our sponsors and partners: Friends of the West River Trail, Jamaica State Park, Ball Mountain/Townsend Lakes.
For more information and to register, check EVENT WEBSITE.
We had a successful work day on Saturday, May 11. Lots of trash and debris cleared off the trail and drainage work done. The lower section of the West River Trail is now noticeably drier and cleaner! Many thanks to the hardy and wonderful volunteers – Jason Cooper, Vicki Myers, Paul Link, Mary Steiner, John Frechette, Thomas Wagner, Trever & Mike Kipp.
THE WEST RIVER TRAIL 