A long-awaited four-season recreation trail could soon provide an economic boost to Lamoille County.
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail project has received final approval to begin construction on 44 miles of the trail across sections of northern Vermont.
That’s almost half its planned 93-mile length.
Vermont’s environmental court issued an Act 250 permit last week for phase one of the project — a trail from St. Johnsbury to Danville, a leg linking Morristown, Hyde Park, Johnson and Cambridge, and a stretch from Sheldon to Swanton.
When completed, the rail trail will run across the top of Vermont, from Swanton to St. Johnsbury, and will be the longest in New England. Walkers, cyclists and horseback riders can use it in the summer; people will use it to cross-country ski, snowshoe and ride snowmobiles during the winter.
Work on the Morrisville-Cambridge section could begin next spring.
Lamoille County business leaders and politicians have long supported the project.
“I think it’s great for us,” said Cindy Locke, executive director of the Lamoille Region Chamber of Commerce. “It’s going to be great for tourism. It’s going to be great for the community, especially in this day and age where we’re trying to be more active. It’s a beautiful path in the woods.”
The rail trail will draw visitors to the region and encourage more people to move here, she said.
“It’s going to be one more great thing for Lamoille County and another way for towns to connect and for people to connect with each other on the trail,” Locke said.
The rail trail will help make Morrisville more pedestrian-friendly, said state Sen. Richard Westman, R-Lamoille County.
“It will be an asset to the whole Lamoille Valley area, particularly in Morrisville, where you will have the Morrisville Truck Bypass,” Westman said.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., anticipates the trail will create much-needed jobs in the area.
“Once built, the trail will be a huge attraction for tourists who come to Vermont in the winter to snowmobile or ski, or in the summer to bike and hike,” he said in an interview last week with Associated Press. “These tourists will stay in our hotels and inns, eat in local restaurants, visit other Vermont attractions and buy Vermont products.”
The rail trail will follow the route of the former Lamoille Valley Railroad, which operated from 1877 to 1994.
Snowmobiles already use much of the route in winter, but the railbed is too rough and brush-covered in most places for summer use by bicyclists, walkers and horseback riders.
The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers leased the trail from the state government in 2003 and has been seeking to convert the rail route into a year-round recreational trail ever since.
Although the project received $5.2 in federal funding in 2005, it had been on hold during an environmental review. A handful of property owners have worked to prevent permits from being issued, citing concerns about air pollution and noise from snowmobiles.
The commission has reviewed the master plan for all 93 miles. While it ruled that phases two and three meet some environmental criteria under Act 250, both phases will require further review on other criteria, including aesthetics.
Locke and Westman see the trail as a way to expand recreational opportunities in the area.
The relatively flat trail will attract people who might not hike, but want a natural path to walk, cycle and cross-country ski, Locke said.
It will provide a convenient way for Morrisville residents and visitors to cycle or walk to meet friends in Hyde Park village and other nearby areas, Westman said.
“To be able to have an active rail trail through Jeffersonville, Johnson and Morrisville will help the whole area,” Westman said.
He believes that, once phase one of the trail is open, it will spur the completion of the remaining two phases.
This initial stretch will highlight what can be done with the rest of the trail and bring in private donations, Westman said.
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