Tewksbury Rail Trail Feasibility Study Released

Patch File Photo

The long-awaited Tewksbury Rail Trail Feasibility Study has been released and is now available to view on the town’s website.

Prepared by Tewksbury Rail Trail leaders and project engineers from Fay, Spofford and Thorndike, the feasibility study outlines the vision and process, design and implementation, as well as next steps for the proposed shared-use trail through the town using the former railroad Right-of-Way previously owned by PanAm.

View the Tewksbury Rail Trail Feasibility Study >>>

The goal of the Tewksbury Rail Trail project is to create a network of safe, accessible routes for non-motorized modes of transportation within the town with the future ability to connect to regional trail systems.

This Feasibility Study evaluates the former rail corridor from the Lowell/Tewksbury town line southeast to the Tewksbury/Wilmington town line, and includes a spur extending north to the Tewksbury/Andover town line, a total of approximately 7.5-miles. The ownership and current use of the ROW varies along the former rail corridor.

An April 2013 Town Meeting vote allotted money, through the Community Preservation Committee, for a feasibility study to evaluate the available rail spurs in the town. It was at that time the town engaged the engineering firm. Fay, Spofford and Thorndike is a design, planning and consulting firm based in Burlington, Massachusetts. With considerable experience in rail trail design, FST worked with the citizen group Tewksbury Rail Trails and the Town of Tewksbury to evaluate trail options and offer guidance through various stages of the process.