Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes today announced the release of a series of grants totaling $10 million that will support the planning, building, expansion, and improvement of 45 multi-use trails located in towns and cities throughout Connecticut.

The grants are being awarded through Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program, which is administered by DEEP. Funds to support the grants were approved by the State Bond Commission at its October 2023 meeting. Governor Lamont serves as chair of the commission.

“The Connecticut Recreational Trails Program and Connecticut Greenways Council are continuing to serve a vital role in providing funding for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of trails across Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “The funding for these 45 projects represents a significant investment in our state’s outdoor economy, and our trails and proximity to nature are a big part of why Connecticut is an attractive place to live and work. I am thrilled to announce funding for these projects, which will improve and expand recreational trail opportunities around our state.”

The following is a list of local projects receiving grants under this round:

• Avon Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Safety Features and Amenities $114,412
• Burlington Farmington River Trail Improvements – Burlington Section Maintenance $494,000
• East Granby Greenway Restoration Project Maintenance $395,389
• Farmington Center Connectivity Project Phase 1 Planning/Design; Education; Outreach $208,000

To read the full announcement including a complete list of grants, please click here.

On April 5 and 6, the Farmington Valley Trails Council hosted a Smart Cycling class, bringing board members and the general public together for a weekend of fun and learning. Smart Cycling is a class offered by the League of American Bicyclists that teaches participants all of the rules, techniques, and tools needed to feel confident riding their bikes in traffic.

Barbara Collins, FVTC President, attended the course and shared her experiences. “I was one of the lucky ones who signed up for the Smart Cycling class,” she said. “I have been riding for years. Slow and steady is how I would describe my style – definitely not a risk taker, especially when riding on roads. I love riding trails because there are no cars, but know trails are the exception, not the rule to riding locations. I signed up to get a refresher on safety practices. I thought I pretty much knew it all but I was wrong! I had several bad habits and learned better and safer ways to ride in traffic especially at intersections and on busy roads. This is a great course that I highly recommend.”

John Crisley also attended. “I loved the section on lane positioning. When I talk about safe cycling with friends and family, I start by talking about this,” he said. “I was also impressed by the number of instructors that participated. They all added something to the course.”
To meet the needs of riders at all levels, the Smart Cycling class combines content from Traffic Skills 101, Traffic Skills 201, Group Riding and Commuting. It covers topics including choosing a bicycle, bike part basics, important equipment, and how to ride your bike in all traffic conditions, terrains, and climates safely and comfortably. Participants complete four hours of classroom instruction (that can either be done via Zoom at https://learn.bikeleague.org/ or in person) and five hours of on-bike learning. You can find classroom and on-bike sessions at the League of American Bicyclists’ Connect Locally Map here: https://bikeleague.org/map/. The League Store has the Smart Cycle Manual as well as other videos and guides meant to bolster your learning.

For younger children, there is a program called Bicycling Skills 123. It is a two-hour course with 13 stations designed to teach children better bike handling skills. Signup information can be found at the Connect Locally map here: https://bikeleague.org/map/.
We hope you will consider taking a class near you soon!

On May 9, 2024, the Farmington Valley Trails Council and the Farmington Canal Rail-to-Trail Association were joint recipients of the Harlan Griswold Preservation Award, given by the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and Preservation Connecticut.   The full text of the presentation can be found here:

Volunteers currently maintain 6 trail counters to detect traffic in these locations.
This data has been used for the Canton/RT 44 Corridor Study, Simsbury LAW Bicycle Friendly application among others.

Want to know how well-used the trail is? Click here.

Construction has begun to fill a gap in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Southington.  When completed, the new segment of about 1.3 miles will extend north from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road, bringing the trail under I-84 via a refurbished rail tunnel.  Read more in this story from WTNH: https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/hartford/construction-underway-to-close-gap-in-farmington-canal-heritage-trail-in-southington/

The Town of Simsbury will be undertaking a large scale renovation of the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge that will begin in October 2023 and likely go through the end of the summer in  2024.  We will not be accepting any reservations for public gatherings (weddings/anniversaries/photos) for this October/November and all of 2024 until we know the Bridge work is completed.  There will be no flowers on the Bridge in 2024 and the park adjacent to the Bridge will not be open to the public until the construction is completed.

See complete information here:  https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/culture-parks-recreation/pages/the-old-drake-hill-flower-bridge

Today, the League of American Bicyclists honored the efforts of Simsbury to build better places for people to bike with a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Simsbury joins 506 communities across the country in the movement for safer streets and better bicycling for everyone. The award recognizes Simsbury for its commitment to creating transportation and recreational resources that benefit its residents of all ages and abilities while encouraging healthier and more sustainable transportation choices.

Read more…

If you have through the trail underpass at Rt. 44 in Avon recently, you saw the beautiful new mural decorating the tunnel.  Read the story of the mural as reported in the Avon Patch. https://patch.com/connecticut/avon/new-avon-trail-mural-brightens-hiking-biking-excursions.