Oxford Route 67 Trail Project Faces $5.7 Million Funding Gap

OXFORD, CT — Oxford has secured enough money to begin extending its Route 67 multi-use trail, but completing the full central segment is expected to cost nearly $10 million.

The town currently has $4.25 million available for design and construction, leaving a projected funding gap of about $5.74 million, according to an April project update.

The available money includes a $3.4 million federal earmark awarded in 2023 and an $850,000 town contribution. About $50,000 in town funding had been spent as of the April update.

Because the estimated cost is too high to build the entire trail at once, Oxford plans to divide the work into two phases.

The first phase covers the stretch from Dutton Road to Riggs Street and is estimated to cost $1.59 million. Final design is expected to be completed by September, with construction planned for 2027.

That portion will include a new bridge over Jack’s Brook, crosswalks and sidewalk ramps at Riggs Street and reconstruction of several driveway aprons. Construction is expected to take six to nine months.

The second phase includes two additional sections extending from Riggs Street to Quarry Walk. Together, those sections are estimated to cost $8.4 million.

The most expensive section, from Riggs Street to the gas station, carries an estimated cost of $6.74 million. Plans call for two bridges over the Little River, retaining walls, rock excavation and driveway reconstruction.

The final section, from the gas station to Quarry Walk, is estimated at $1.66 million and would include a long retaining wall, new crosswalks, culvert extensions and additional driveway work.

Design work for those two sections is expected to continue through 2027. Construction is tentatively planned for 2028 and 2029, but the town’s presentation says that schedule depends on securing additional money.

The finished trail would be 10 feet wide and paved with asphalt, with a five-foot grass buffer separating it from Route 67 in most locations. It would connect with the existing trail between Town Hall and Dutton Road, which was completed in 2021.

Town officials do not anticipate purchasing any properties for the project, although temporary construction easements and grading rights will be needed at several locations.

Most construction would take place outside the Route 67 travel lanes. Shoulder closures are expected, along with occasional short-term southbound lane closures and alternating traffic during bridge and retaining-wall work. The town said no long-term detours are anticipated.

The project grew out of a 2021 transportation study that recommended building a separated walking and biking trail along Route 67, eventually connecting Southford and Seymour.