Natick Cochituate Rail Trail Ceremony Marks Official Opening

NATICK, MA — Almost exactly one year ago, the Cochituate Rail Trail was so tantalizingly close.

At Route 30 on the Framingham side near TJX, a section of the non-motorized trail hung out over the roadway waiting for a bridge to connect it to Natick. That connection came in mid-October, but it wasn't until this summer that the Route 30 bridge — and one farther south across Route 9 — were paved and ready for bike tires and running shoes.

The trail has been unofficially open for months, connecting to the older 1-1/2 mile section from Saxonville in Framingham. Local officials will gather there Tuesday to hold an official ribbon cutting for the new section of trail. It spans about 2-1/2 miles from the Framingham border south to near the Natick MBTA station.

Construction on the trail began more than a decade ago in Framingham, and there's still more to be done. The southern end of the trail approaching Natick Center is still under construction as part of a larger rebuild of the commuter rail station — that project could be complete in about a year.

On the north end of the trail, rail trail advocates hope to connect the Cochituate Rail Trail from Saxonville to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) via on-street bike lanes and the Weston Aqueduct. Construction on the BFRT through Sudbury is progressing, although Framingham has yet to acquire the land needed to complete the nearly 30-mile trail through the city.

A paved section of the Mass Central Rail Trail beginning in Wayland is also not far north of the Saxonville terminus along Route 126/Concord Street. A connection to that trail could eventually take bicyclists (and people out for a long walk) all the way east to Waltham.

Tuesday's grand opening ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the Route 30 span and will feature MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver and local officials officials who worked on getting the trail complete. Attendees can park at the Home Depot, 339 Speen St.