Obviously this isn’t related directly with the Denmark Mountain Hikers but as many of us live in the area and will be within easy range of this “trail”, this may be of interest to us.
From: Advocates for the Mountain Division Trail;
From the Mountains to the Sea
The Mountain Division Railroad ran from Ogdensburg, NY to Portland, Maine (almost 400 miles). It was completed in 1875 and used for over 100 years. Because it was no longer economically viable, rail service was discontinued in 1958 for passenger trains and 1983 for freight trains. The eastern most section, located in southwestern Maine, runs 51 miles from Fryeburg on the NH border to Portland, Maine. The mission and vision of our organization are singularly focused on advocating for the construction of a paved recreational trail from the mountains of NH/ME to Portland and the sea.
Legislation (LD404) was signed into law on 7/6/23, authorized the Maine Department of Transportation to remove the rails and ties, plan, engineer, and construct a trail until rail from Fryeburg to Standish. When completed this will connect 31 miles of new trail to the 10 miles already constructed and in use. Visit the timeline to learn more about our history.
The latest update on the status of the proposed ‘trail’ from Fryeburg to Hiram can be found in this newsletter from early June: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SjWsetSerfvvKUJVWH6Ec49hqCIUTjHn/view
BikeMaine.org, an organization that is hard not to support in most things, has sent out a request recently asking for help advocating on behalf of one particular decision, which is to remove the rails and create a bike path. See below:
The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has extended the comment period for comments on the Semi-final Specifications for a 10-mile extension of the Mountain Division Trail (MDT) until next Tuesday (midnight on 6/30). This section of trail connects the existing 4.5 miles of trail in Fryeburg and extends it 10 miles into the old village of Hiram. There has been a flood of comments from outside of Maine from rail advocates submitting comments. Through the grape vine we hear that many of the rail advocates are commenting that a Rail with a Trail alongside it is a best and least expensive use of this asset. Neither is the case. This has been studied extensively by HNTB (consultants hired by MDOT over the last 4 years) and the cost of a Rail with a Trail next to it was estimated at $ 142 million vs $ 20 million removing the rails and ties and building theTrail until Rail on the old rail bed foundation. We are asking for your help by showing support for the Trail until Rail MDT by signing onto the MDOT website, submitting a comment and noting you are In Favor on Question # 6.
There is one challenging part of entering the comments. Question # 5 asks you to assign your comment to a specific location. This is not an optional question. Follow the directions to zoom and pan the map, then add a pin by selecting a location that may relate to your comment (some comments may not relate to a location so place the pin on the map near the trail) or use the table to enter an address or landmark.
Some comments that might resonate with you include:
“Trail until rail is the best economic use of the MDT for this asset which has not been used by a train since 1987 ” or
“I approve of removing the rail to create the trail” or
“Build the trail on the rail bed” or
“Please build a sustainable trail with minimal impact by removing the rail and ties and replacing them with a trail”
Your help in submitting comments in support of building 10 miles of Trail until Rail is most appreciated.
Why This Matters:
When completed, the Mountain Division Trail will run from Fryeburg and Standish, and connect 31 miles of new paved recreation trail to 10 miles already constructed and in use.
This section of this specific project consists of converting 10-miles (Hiram to Fryeburg) of the 31-mile section of the inactive Mountain Division Rail Corridor to an interim use off road shared-use path/trail.
Show your support for this once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand the Mountain Division Trail. Your voice matters. Strong public support will help keep the momentum going toward construction and a connected trail for generations to come.
How You Can Help:
Follow the directions above to leave a comment on the MaineDOT website and show your support for this project and keep momentum going!
Leave a comment by Tuesday, June 30th!
Returning to Denmark Hiker business:
Remember there is no hike this coming Friday as it is July 3, in close enough proximity to the 4th that we have not scheduled a hike. July 10th is another attempt at Tir’em (I’ve lost count of cancellations due to weather for that hike). Everyone is of course invited to the July 4th Denmark Parade. You can march with Phil or watch with Jacob and Rena.
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