Over time, the need to coordinate on improvements to the rail trail - - PDF document

• This is the first of approximately 5 planned meetings of a Project Advisory

Committee to consider the future of the Ashuelot Rail Trail. This meeting will feature an introduction to the project, the role of the Committee, and provide an

• pportunity for an early outreach activity intended to begin in May.
• My name is Henry Underwood and I am a GIS Specialist/Planner at Southwest

Region Planning Commission. I am the point person for this project. Who is Involved?

• Over time, the need to coordinate on improvements to the rail trail has risen for

local, regional, and statewide groups. Because of the importance of rail trails to the transportation network of our region, a collaborative approach is needed.

• SWRPC plans to engage with all four communities along the rail trail corridor to

review and prioritize solutions to issues and needs through a roughly 12-18 month planning process.

• The Ashuelot Rail Trail is an enormous transportation, recreation, and health asset

to a wide variety of users throughout the year. It’s also a regional asset that doesn’t respect town boundaries.

• Rail trails have long been recognized as a way to improve local and regional
• pportunities related to transportation, recreation, economic development, and

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health throughout Southwest New Hampshire. A variety of individuals and groups take on maintenance of rail trails, and they are enjoyed routinely by residents and visitors alike. Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC) sees value in developing a plan which addresses the future of our rail trails. What will be Accomplished?

• Plan for Ashuelot Rail Trail is a planning effort aimed to address challenges and
• pportunities along the approximately 21.5-mile stretch of trail near the

Massachusetts state line and Keene, New Hampshire.

• The project will collect data on existing trail use, conditions, and amenities and

conduct meetings among municipalities and other stakeholders to both share information and consider maintenance, connectivity, safety, and coordinated improvement to the trail.

• One goal will be a shared vision for the Ashuelot Rail Trail to better inform

volunteer groups, local government, and regional and statewide transportation planning.

• The long term goal is that the project will be a model for the other rail trails around

the region. Why the Ashuelot Rail Trail?

• Recent project successes and momentum
• Coordination
• Community interest
• Previous research and data collection (especially the Keene State College

Geography Department “The Ashuelot Rail Trail: The ART of Commuting”) 1

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Please limit your response to 2 minutes. 3

Health

• To take one issue in Southwest NH, obesity is a health priority. Statewide, 25.5% of

adults are considered obese (2010) and 18.1% of children (2008) according to New Hampshire’s State Health Improvement Plan. Cheshire County isn’t statistically higher or lower than the State average. Recent increases have had health professionals, communities, planners and other asking: “how can we provide more

• pportunities for people to be active?”
• Trails and greenways create healthy recreation and transportation opportunities by

providing people of all ages with attractive, safe, accessible and low- or no-cost places to cycle, walk, hike, jog or skate. Transportation

• The Ashuelot Rail Trail was created as a transportation corridor and continues to be
• ne today. In areas it serves a vital role as part of the street network, providing a

low-stress alternative to walking or biking along the road shoulder. And, it connects several population centers together. In considering bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, the rail trail is a de-facto separated path, traveling to many of the same destinations as our State and local highways, but without the stress of bicycling or walking near sometimes busy highways. There are challenges to this 4

asset in that a wide variety of users can share the same space. Environment

• The Ashuelot Rail Trail crosses important habitats, parallels a NH Designated River,

the Ashuelot River, and connects a variety of conservation areas and other trails that make up a variety of natural areas important for plant and animal species and

• ur experience of nature.

Economy

• Sometimes the economic value of trails is obvious (for example, if a business

locates directly on a trail or near a trailhead). Other times, trails are part of the bigger picture of what makes an area attractive to locate or relocate a business. There is also the consideration of tourism, an important part of Southwest NH’s economy. Identity

• The Ashuelot Railroad and remaining infrastructure (bridges, trails, depots, etc.)

provides context to the region’s economic past. As I mentioned earlier, the presence of trails (esp. abandoned railroad lines), is a prominent feature that makes our region special. Source: https://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/benefits-of-trails/ 4

What has been done so far?

• New Hampshire has a large number of multi-use trails throughout the State. By

multi-use trails, I mean an off-street path for people walking, biking, snowmobiling, skiing, etc.

• The New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural

and Cultural Resources (formerly DRED) – created a 2005 State Trails Plan to identify these trails, describe their conditions, and describe their potential for future trail use and development.

• Specifically, the Plan included an inventory of abandoned rail corridors. At the time,
• ver 300 miles (over 23 distinct corridors) was owned by the State of New

Hampshire.

• In Southwest NH, these trails include:
• Ashuelot Branch – 21.5 miles from Hinsdale to Keene
• Cheshire Branch – 42.0 miles from Fitzwilliam to Walpole
• Fort Hill Branch – 8.7 miles in Hinsdale
• Hillsborough Branch – 7.8 miles from Hillsborough to Bennington
• Monadnock Branch – 7.2 miles from Rindge to Jaffrey
• Greenville Branch – 2.2 miles from Mason to Greenville
• In total, this accounts for 89.4 miles, or 27.0% of the total mileage inventoried as

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part of the State Trails Plan (330.9 miles) 5

The Ashuelot Branch (now referred to as the Ashuelot Rail Trail) was assessed by the Plan to include the following key points:

• The Ashuelot Railroad corridor acquisition from Hinsdale through

Winchester and Swanzey to Keene was accomplished through federal Transportation Enhancements Program funding in the early 1990’s (94- 02TE/12133C)

• Owner listed as the New Hampshire Department of Transportation with a

management agreement with the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (formerly DRED)

• All non-motorized uses are permitted
• In the winter, snowmobiles and ATVs are permitted to use the trail
• Parallels State Bicycle Route (including NH 119 as well as local roads)
• At the time of the inventory as part of the 2005 plan, the surface included

ballast, gravel, dirt, cinder, and sand

• 8 rail bridge crossings
• Maintenance via Keene Sno-Riders, Winchester Trail Riders, Pisgah Mt. Trail

Riders

• Typical right of way widths of 66 feet
• Parallels the Ashuelot River

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• Federal, State, local, and private funds are what made the rail trail possible as a

pathway and what continue to improve its existing conditions.

• There is an opportunity to advocate for and prioritize new needs via a regional plan

to build on these successes

• The planning process is an opportunity to learn from each other's successes (and

challenges) and build upon momentum at the northern end of the corridor and elsewhere Selected citations:

• https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/keeneswanzey10309p/index.htm
• http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/section-of-ashuelot-rail-trail-in-

swanzey-to-be-dedicated/article_c268006d-68cb-5592-ba7e-5baafea602e9.html

• https://www.nhstateparks.org/uploads/pdf/NH-RTP-Projects_2014.pdf

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• Although the trail is clearly a regional asset, very little regional trail planning has

taken place. Mostly it’s been confined to local planning.

• However, at least one regional planning initiative related to the region’s rail trails
• ccurred in 2006. It included brainstorming of ideal trail qualities, mapping, and

public meetings for each trail in the region.

• The following ideal qualities were identified as part of a September 13, 2006

meeting:

• Cooperative sharing of trails and maintenance
• Proper enforcement
• Year-round use
• Destination points-natural and historic
• Remote
• Multi-use: ATVs, Snowmobiles, Bicycles, Hikers
• Vistas
• Natural
• Safe and clean
• Smooth consistent surface
• Connectivity
• Strenuous hikes

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• Encounters with wildness
• Access near residence
• Peaceful
• Good for hiking and walking
• Exclude automobiles
• Options for all users and skill levels

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• SWRPC is responsible for maintaining a long range transportation plan. The primary

goals of the plan are shown here and will guide the development of a plan for the Ashuelot Rail Trail

• Recall the network of rail trails depicted earlier: SWRPC sees this initiative as a long

term project to address each corridor in the region.

• Trails, as you know, do not respect municipal, or even state boundaries.
• Our long range transportation plan recognizes our rail trails as assets and a big
• pportunity. It considers rail trails as part of corridor systems. In this case

providing an alternative for traveling NH 10 and NH 119 9

• Let’s shift gears and talk more specifically about the Plan for Ashuelot Rail Trail as a

planning project and specifically about the different work tasks.

• A basic model of the major work tasks anticipated to be part of the planning

project is depicted here. A review of individual items follows. 10

• The following list represents the variety of stakeholders invited to participate on

the Project Advisory Committee. The majority listed here plan to participate in the approximately 5 meetings planned throughout the course of the project.

• Potential tasks for the Project Advisory Committee include:
• Providing input on planned work tasks
• Using the “lens” of occupation, profession, affiliation to more

comprehensively understand the trail as an asset

• Liaising with larger community, constituency, institution, trail users
• Demonstrating interest and enthusiasm of our region to improve and

promote the trail

• Helping to identify project and plan goals and objectives
• Reviewing plans for public participation
• Future meetings of the Project Advisory Committee will generally focus on the

Existing Conditions Assessment activities, Needs Analysis, preparation of a draft plan, and review of a final plan.

• Individuals and organizations are welcome to invite others to Project Advisory

Committee meetings, which will be publically noticed on the SWRPC website. 11

• Anticipated activities that comprise the existing conditions assessment are about

understanding the trail as it is today, primarily through research and data collection activities and include:

• Review and evaluation of existing and previous planning documents and

policies relevant to the rail trail and study area

• Maps and GIS data of the study area including but not limited to aerial

photos, transportation infrastructure, points interest, tax parcels, waterbodies, topography, conservation land, etc.

• Review of crash data at trail crossings
• Automated and manual counts of people walking and biking
• Review and data collection in regards to the trail’s surface condition
• Compiling information about activities that utilize the trail today or could

make use of it in the future (such as a walking group, recreational program, workplace wellness program, or students travelling to a school or campus)

• Information about the economic benefits of rail trails
• Ideas for considering the rail trail in each of the communities’ Complete

Streets Policies 12

• Anticipated activities that comprise the public outreach activities are about

understanding the perspective of individuals, municipalities, and others: Online Survey

• SWRPC plans to utilize an online survey tool to learn about specific issues, trip

types, destinations, and other information from the general public. Municipal Survey

• A survey aimed at municipalities would contribute to existing conditions
• assessments. The purpose of this activity is to gain the perspective of local

government in the use, issues, maintenance needs, and plans for the rail trail. Participation of municipalities in this survey activity could help to facilitate implementation of trail improvements. Walking/Biking Tours

• SWRPC is targeting one walking and one biking tour as a public meeting and event

to gain perspective about the trail and condition by experiencing first hand. Interviews 13

• SWRPC plans to conduct telephone, e-mail, or in-person interviews to gain input on

facility issues, opportunities, and other considerations that would be relevant to the development of objectives and the draft plan. Intercept Surveys

• An intercept survey is accomplished by meeting a trail user where they are on the
• trail. I will ask right now: is anyone interested in learning more about how to help
• ut with this task?

Open House

• SWRPC will facilitate an open house to review existing conditions, input received,

and discuss potential goals, objectives, and projects. 13

• Anticipated activities that comprise the needs analysis are aimed at taking what we

heard and finding potential solutions to consider for implementation in the future: Vision, Goals, and Objectives

• What will our vision for the trail be? SWRPC plans to provide material from other

trail planning initiatives and relevant data from the previous tasks in the project to the Project Advisory Committee to consider Design Guidelines

• The plan will include content to describe the geometric design of desired facilities,

wayfinding, or other issues, etc. Maintenance and Funding

• Great, we this point in the project we have established some needs. But what do

improvements costs so we can plan and advocate for them? Evaluation

• Are there some useful performance targets the region should consider to decide if

improvements are paying off? If it is an economic success? 14

Implementation

• An implementation plan can be used to itemize and prioritize needs based on their

feasibility and importance. Note that work conducted by SWRPC will not be comparable to engineering plans or

• designs. Rather, the information will support the development and direction of more

detailed plans and projects. For example, we intend to provide information about cost estimates for common needs, and in fact we may even have local examples and

• sources. However, we will also need to rely on data from other states or studies to

provide cost estimates. 14

• Content from previous tasks will serve as the “building blocks” for a plan.

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• Today, we are looking for feedback on survey questions appropriate for an online

survey.

• Feel free to use the pen at your table to write feedback directly on the draft

questionnaire

• Otherwise, use my provided contact information: 357-0557 or

hunderwood@swrpc.org to provide feedback by the end of the day next Wed. May 16th. 16

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• The next meeting of the Project Advisory Committee will be held in late July of
• 2018. SWRPC will conduct a meeting poll to determine a suitable time to meet.
• Potential agenda items for Meeting #2 may include:
• Update on outreach activities
• Review of findings based on literature review of current plans that feature

the Ashuelot Rail Trail

• Review of trail base mapping, collisions analysis, preliminary bike/ped

counts, and more… 18

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