Maine DOT has published its Feasibility Study investigating the conversion of 31 miles of inactive Mountain Division Rail Corridor (MDRC) to an interim use as an off road, shared-used pedestrian path/trail. Generally, the trail follows the MDRC from Route 35 (near Johnson Field) in Standish, through Baldwin, Hiram, Brownfield and ending at Route 113 in Fryeburg and has been broken into six trail segments.
The report can be read in detail and comments from the public are being solicited by visiting the website link at the end of this article. The report covers the history of the project as well as technical aspects of the trail design, an evaluation of the condition of the existing bridge structures, trail alternatives through Portland Water District (PWD) property, where public use is prohibited, a budget, and sequence of construction for six designated trail segments.
Segment 1 starts in Fryeburg. This is the least expensive option, and will be first constructed, as it connects to an already existing multi-use rail corridor off Mountain View Avenue. Segment 6, ending at Johnson Field in Standish, is the most expensive section because it must bypass the rail track that passes through the PWD land. It will most likely be built next as it also connects to the already existing, heavily used Mountain Division Trail in Gorham and Windham.
Plans also include four trail heads with parking: 1) Located in Hiram – adjacent to the rail corridor off Mountain View Ave; 2) West Baldwin – at the former Cornish Station; 3) Baldwin – near Whistle Stop General Store; 4) Standish old track – siding off Route 114 near Cole Hill Road.
The report also includes many technical construction aspects. The bed will be 10’ wide with 2’ grass shoulders. Areas with steep side slopes, will require a fence or a barrier within the 2’ of grass shoulder for safety.
Rail ties in poor condition will be removed except on bridge sections, where disintegrating ties will be replaced with timber decking. All bridges will be inspected every five years, including the 13 railroad bridges with spans of 9’ or longer. The plan includes safety specifications for bridges that need to be rebuilt.
The rail bed will be reinforced with six inches of aggregate gravel. The finished path surface, yet to be determined, will either be paved at a cost of approximately $33,502,020 or stone dust will be used at $26,176,020. A budget for each individual segment can be viewed online.
The steepest grade on the trail is 1.6% which is flatter than the maximum grade suggested for bicycle paths. The path will pass 25 roadways at grade along the 31-mile corridor and each crossing will be individually evaluated and designed for sight distance safety.
To learn more or to make comments, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dec4a29e8e5d44d6a08dcd21c18f5099.