==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Derry Rail Trail Alliance
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Derry Rail Trail planned, downtown to Windham Rail Trail
Introduction:
The Derry Rail Trail Alliance was formed to see the Derry section of the old Manchester and Lawrence Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad turned into a recreational trail for cyclists and pedestrians.
Some of this trail has already been paved as part of the Derry Bike Path. Our first goal is to see this path extended all the way to Windham to connect to the Windham Rail Trail.
DRTA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to
the full extend allowed by law.
Project updates:
October 2011: The two-mile section of their trail from Bowers Road to Windham Depot is now paved thank to the Town of Derry and many local contributors. This provides a paved rail trail from downtown Derry to the Windham Depot to Roulston Road, just 0.6 mile from Salem. That remaining 0.6 mile of the Windham Rail Trail goes over the new Rt. 111 bike-ped bridge and should be paved next year under a TE grant awarded in 2010. Trail-side parking at the southern terminus near Range Road and Route 28 (Windham-Salem town line) has been approved.
October 31, 2009: The Derry and Windham Rail Trails received a major boost in publicity thanks to a tour arranged by DRTA VP Mark Connors and WRTA President Mark Samsel. NH Union Leader reporter Carol Robidoux spent the afternoon walking and riding along the trails while interviewing trail users and taking many photos. Her article appeared in the November 2 edition and may be viewed here along with photos.
October 28, 2009: The Derry Rail Trail Alliance was one of four groups who participated in the "M&L-North Tour" which reached into downtown Manchester. Details about the tour as arranged by BWA-NH plus a NH Union Leader article by Derrick Perkins and photos may be viewed here.
July 21, 2009: The Town of Derry completed paving a 0.6 mile section of the Derry Rail Trail from Kendall Pond Road to Bowers Road, just in time for the July 22 "M&L South Tour" as arranged by BWA-NH. The newly paved section was immediately welcomed by Derry residents and visitor alike. The only question was, "When will it connect to Windham?" (Let's hope for 2010!)
June 26, 2009: The Derry Rail Trail Alliance and the Town of Derry have started construction of their first phase and privately-funded section heading toward the completed 3.5 mile section of the Windham Rail Trail. Their project was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong. The tri-town TE grant would allow a box culvert to be installed under the Bowers Road crossing in Derry, completion of the Windham Rail Trail 0.6 mile section to the Salem town line, and for Salem to build their first section of 1.1 miles going from Windham to the urban compact area at Old Rockingham Road. This will create approximately ten miles of paved rail trail from Salem to downtown Derry. However, grant applications take time so funding, if approved, would not be available until October 2010.
October 4, 2008: Fundraising efforts continue with a "fun raising" wine tasting party at the home of Dr. John Daley. Of the $350K needed to start construction, approximately $285K has been raised or pledged via grants once the "magic number" is reached.
April 24, 2008: The DRTA Board is actively seeking funding from companies, private individuals, grants, and any other source to raise the required money to build the paved trail this summer. The option to make donations via their web site using a PayPal account helps eliminate paperwork. Actual construction of the trail will be managed by the Town of Derry while DRTA will assist with the maintenance and publicity once the trail has been completed.
March 4, 2008: After many long meetings, delays, publicity, and hard work by the DRTA, the Derry Town Council approved $225,000 for the rail trail project. The remaining $150,000 must be raised privately via the DRTA before the town releases their share. About $75,000 has already been donated for the engineering work which has been completed. With the town committing $225,000, donations from private citizens and businesses will be easier since the project is approved. See the full write-up from the Manchester Union Leader dated March 5, 2008.
February 19, 2008: The public hearing scheduled for January 29 was postponed until February 19. The 7:30 PM meeting was extended until 11:05 PM with the Derry Rail Trail topic not started until 10:50 PM. Some negative comments from the public were heard, all based on the financial impact to the town. Unfortunately, there was no time for a rebuttal to inform the public that the requested funds have no impact on taxes. Plans are now underway to continue the public hearing with a chance for DRTA to address the concerns on March 4.
December 4, 2007: The council voted unanimously to accept the engineering donation and we have a date for the public hearing, January 29th!
We should have the engineering done within the month and from that we will be able to pull together the last details of the plan.
We are going to have to go out and knock on some doors for private funding to bring at least an estimate of how much private funding we can raise to offset the cost of the project. We will also be looking at options to our plan based on the cost estimates we get so we can get this project built on our schedule.
We are shooting for opening June 2008. I think this goal is reasonable and attainable. We may have to build in some follow-on work if money is tight but we're going to shoot for the whole thing and see where we end up.
I am so proud of this group and how much we have accomplished in such a short amount of time. Your enthusiasm has certainly helped make this project move and that is huge.
Thanks and congratulations,
-Erich
Web site:
http://www.derryrailtrail.org/
Contact person:
Erich Whitney
DRTA President
5 Wilson Ave.
Derry, NH 03038
603-537-1120