Email us at Savereformatorytrailbedford@gmail.com
For any of these points, please see the FAQ for more details and our sources of information. They include Town construction documents, official Town statements, Town meeting proceedings, Federal sources, and scientific research.
Temporary construction easements mean MassDOT will use residents' back yards for staging for as long as four years. MassDOT will clear the area of trees.
When the project is over, there is no plan to restore that land to tree cover.
Trucking and bussing businesses are threatened on Railroad Avenue. A daycare center on Concord serves more than 80 families, who do not want their children next to the noise, exhaust, and dust of the construction of the tunnel under Concord Road. The owner faces personal financial ruin.
If the Extension is voted down, the Town conceded that the public right of use can be expected to be sustained, and would stand up to challenge in Court.
https://www.bedfordma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6866/f/uploads/mm_bikeway_faq_stm_final.pdf, See #28.
Dappled sunlight. Shade provided by a leaf canopy. Wildlife. Quiet. Peace. The smell of forest. These are what make this 1.7 miles of public green space so special.
The Extension calls for the removal of 1.7 miles of intact tree canopy in a public green space. The boundaries of the clear cut are undefined, and construction details ensure that the canopy will never return. Built East to West, the path will bake in the sun from sun up to sun down.
Now this trail is a place for our cross-country student-athletes to run. It is a quiet place to ski in the winter. It is a place to spot a Blanding’s turtle, an endangered animal. It is a safe place to see our neighbors, families walking, young children on bikes. Let’s don’t give up what we have.
If the Extension is voted through, the Town will cede all control to Mass DOT. Quoting Bedford DPW staff, "The Town may not dictate means nor methods for the project."
We have no oversight, and no input to alter or change any part of the plan you see on the Town website.
MassDOT Plans show PROPOSED clearing and grubbing areas. These are estimates. They show only land cleared from public land. They do not show private land, owned by abutters, that will be cleared for storage and staging for MassDOT equipment and materials.
The plan shows Temporary Construction Easements, and Proposed Temporary Construction Easements. Whether Proposed or not, all Construction Easements are well outside the Proposed Clearing and Grubbing marks.
The simultaneous existence of clearing and grubbing marks and construction easements begs the question: what is the actual area of operation for the project?
There are many sources of funding for Railroad Ave improvements.
The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting, members of leadership repeatedly emphasized that Federal COVID money will be rolling into the Commonwealth until at least 2026. Many other Commonwealth agencies will also receive Federal COVID monies.
The Town need not accept a bloated plan that takes property from 42 abutters, rips down public greenspace, and increases threats to endangered wildlife.
The Extension went forward without key investigations.
Without this work, there can be no assertions regarding:
The Extension designs explicitly label the path as "MIXED USE". This means:
Communities around Bedford are struggling with the pedestrian safety issues of mixing walkers with wheeled visitors on a paved surface.
Copyright © 2022 Save Reformatory Branch Trail - Bedford, MA - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.