Bruce_Freeman_Rail_Trail
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
Rail trail in Massachusetts, United States
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is a partially-completed rail trail in Massachusetts. The path is a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) paved multi-use trail, available for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and other non-motorized uses.[1] It follows the right-of-way of the disused Framingham and Lowell Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.[2] The constructed route connects with the Bay Circuit Trail, and Phase 2D will connect with the Mass Central Rail Trail - Wayside.[3] The total planned length of the trail—which will eventually run continuously between Lowell and Framingham—is just under 25 miles (40 km).[1][2] The trail is named for Bruce Freeman, a state representative from Chelmsford who was an early political supporter of the project.[4] The trail is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation from Lowell to South Sudbury.[5] In July 2020, MassTrails awarded Sudbury $300,000 to purchase the right-of-way from South Sudbury to the Framingham line, and Sudbury became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2020.[6][7] In December 2022, Framingham signed a purchase-and-sale agreement with CSX to purchase the right-of-way in Framingham, and Framingham became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2023.[8][7] The trail is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the communities through which the trail runs.[9]