Athol board reviews first phase plan for Rabbit Run

This excerpt from Howard Stein Hudson’s presentation to the Open Space and Recreation Commission shows the proposed four phases for the Rabbit Run Rail Trail. SCREENSHOT—
Published: 01-31-2025 3:24 PM |
ATHOL – Representatives of the engineering firm Howard Stein Hudson met virtually with the Open Space and Recreation Commission last Wednesday to present a preliminary design plan for Phase 1A of the proposed Rabbit Run Rail Trail.
Plans called for the meeting to be held in Room 21 at Town Hall, but due to a water leak, it took place via Zoom.
Engineer Connor Keating and Steven Tyler, the principal in charge of the project, discussed the work to be accomplished during this phase. They have been working on the project since 2022, when Athol received a $32,000 Mass Trails grant, supplemented by a town match of $10,600, for a feasibility study on constructing a trail along the entire 6.2 miles from the New Salem town line to downtown Athol.
The study examined conceptual alternatives for the trail, as well as accessibility, segmentation of the project, and environmental impact. As a result, it was determined to do the project in four separate steps.
Phase 1A will run south from the Bidwell Farm to just north of Route 2, according to Keating.
“We did that because there’s a lot more existing trail bed in that section,” said Planning and Development Director Eric Smith. “It’s much more challenging with lots of the old rail bed north of Bidwell, especially where it runs through the Riverview development and along South Athol Road, where homes are built and utility poles are installed. That’s pretty much the rationale of doing this section first.”
“For the most part,” Keating continued, “the trail will follow the abandoned rail bed, traveling from the Bidwell Farm to what is known as the O’Brien property. Eventually, we’ll be crossing over South Athol Road, just north of Thrower Road, and continue south along Thrower Road to the southernmost point where we’ll end this phase of the project” about a quarter mile north of Route 2.
Smith added that he and David Small – who serves on the Conservation Commission, the OSRC, and works with the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust – “have been having active conversations with Bill O’Brien about him donating some land that includes the rail trail segment or a trail easement.”
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Keating then discussed some of the amenities or improvements to be included in the project, the first of which was creation of a 21-vehicle parking lot with a crushed stone surface on the Bidwell property. The lot would include a 14-foot-wide entrance and gated access to the trail. The gate would bar unauthorized vehicles from the trail while providing access for first responders.
The trail itself, said Keating, would be 10 feet wide and surfaced by stabilized aggregate crushed stone. The surface he said, would “meet accessibility requirements and sort of goes with the aesthetics of the outdoor environment. And we will be proposing a cedar rail fence for certain areas that run through wetland areas. So, any area that’s next to wetlands where there are steep slopes off the side, you would see a ceder rail fence.”
Approximately every 200 feet, walkers and bikers will see a rectangular blue sign posted with the number to call in case of emergency.
The crosswalk at South Athol Road would include Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons erected 250 feet from the crossing to warn motorists approaching from either direction. Both sides of the crosswalk would be equipped with removable bollards to prevent vehicle access onto the trail.
“Continuing south from the crosswalk,” Keating went on, “it’s continued as a brief section of the path that would be along the roadway, with the steep slopes off the side. We are proposing a new guardrail here, installing a safer guardrail along that side of the road for pedestrian safety. And there would be rock slope off the sides to make that slope a little safer. You’ll also have the cedar rail fence at the top of the slope as well.”
The path would run for about 300 feet to Thrower Road. A five-foot-wide path would run along Thrower Road until reaching the spot where Phase 1 development is completed.
“The next part of this project will be permitting,” said Keating. “Part of the rail bed does go through a bit of wetlands; just under 5,000 feet. So for this part of the project we would have to replace any wetlands that we would be building through.”
The wetlands permitting would be undertaken by the Conservation Commission. Keating concluded by saying he hopes to have all permits in hand by April, with a final design presented to the public in June.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.