June 1, 2009: On Monday the 1st, The Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge will start allowing bicycles to use 3 designated roads in the refuge. They are the White Pond Road-West Patrol Road combo, 'Trail C' and Craven Lane. A map of the 3 routes is here.

Access to these roads is due in no small part, to the efforts of the Stow and Maynard governments and ARRT volunteers back in 2005. The result was the 2006 federal report that designated several abandoned roads for bicycle use. This will allow bicycling on 5 miles of refuge roads, as a means of access to the 2010 visitor center and as a connection to the Assabet River Rail Trail.

December 13, 2008: The ARRT will hold a trail walk in Maynard on Saturday, December 13th, starting at 10:30 AM and finishing just after noon. November 21, 2008:  Support letters needed!
As you may have heard, most unfinished rail trail projects in the state were put on hold this August. The Acton-Maynard section of the ARRT was no exception. Two key state committees are voting this month and next, to decide which projects will be restored.

Find out how you can help here.

June 19, 2008:  Many Hudson and Marlborough residents who are neighbors to the trail have upgraded their backyards and gardens since the trail opened in 2005.

The ARRT has selected Ivo Matias as the winner of the first annual ARRT Best Garden award. More details are here.

May 6, 2008:  The Stow Town meeting voted overwhelming in favor of the last piece of the 'Track Road' easement purchase after much discussion. A counter amendment to prevent paving the future bike trail (in Stow) was defeated. When combined with the section acquired in 2004, the town now has access to the entire 1.7 miles between Sudbury Road and the Stow-Maynard town line, the longest uninterupted segment in the 12.5 mile, five-community rail trail. The next step is for Stow and the Commonwealth to apply for the funding to design and build this section of the trail.

Febuary 15, 2008:  Patrick Administration Awards Smart Growth/Smart Energy Grant to Stow. Seven grant recipients announced today include Stow; $19,500 for appraisals and engineering at the Lundy Property, which includes cluster affordable housing, land conservation and a bypass for the Assabet River Rail Trail.
A map of the property is here.

September 29, 2007: ARRT volunteers and the Hudson DPW have started to install a 1906 RR switch next to the Hudson caboose. It will be the first piece at 'ARRT Park'. Also planned are 4 interpretive panels and a RR sign. More pictures are in the volunteers gallery.

July 14, 2007:  At a June 25th public hearing, BSC TerraSphere presented their recommendations for the design of the pedestrian bridge and approach ramps needed to cross the MBTA tracks at South Acton village. A rendering of the south ramp design is pictured below. The complete presentation is on the town website as a 6 MB pdf.

April 30, 2007:  Due to the construction of the Main Street Bridge, starting Monday, April 30, 2007, MassHighway will close a portion of the Assabet River Rail Trail in Hudson from approximately Priest Street in front of Hudson Dairy Joy to a point east of the existing Main Street Bridge across from the Whispering Pines Condominium. Neither the trail nor sidewalk in this area will be accessible to pedestrians or bicycles until further notice. [ MAP ]

 
The next ARRT monthly meeting is 7:00 PM Thursday, June 25, 2009 at the Acton Public Library.

Monthly ARRT meetings are open to the public. Anyone interested in our activities are invited to attend. Meetings are usually finished by 9:00 PM. The complete ARRT calendar is here.
  The ARRT can now accept donations and membership dues online. We are using the GuideStar-Network for Good system. More details and the payment link are here.

August 1, 2008:  The ARRT has an exhibit at the Marlborough Public Library, on display for the month of August.

Summer library hours are 9:00 - 8:30 Monday - Thursday and 9:00 - 5:00 on Friday.

May 19, 2008:  The ARRT caboose was open to the public, as the premier attraction at the second annual Hudson Fresh Air Festival.

October 16, 2007: The Towns of Acton and Maynard held a joint public meeting at Acton Town Hall to review conceptual design proposals and options for the Assabet River Rail Trail along its route from Maynard's town line with Stow to the train station in South Acton and to hear and receive comments from prospective trail users, abutters, and others.

The 10% design plans are available here.
July 12, 2007:  The Commonwealth has released the draft 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). This is the document that prioritizes all highway and bike trail projects in greater Boston. The money for the construction of the trail in Acton and Maynard remains in the Fiscal 2010 budget and has been increased by $350,000. The total is now $4.7 million.

May 25, 2007:  The towns of Acton and Maynard have announced that the Concord based engineering firm EarthTech, will do the 100% design of the 3.45 miles in Acton & Maynard. They were the winning bidder of the 6 firms that submitted proposals on March 1st. Design work will start by mid-summer and finish in 2008.