Trail Construction                      Activities               Volunteer opportunities

---

Flooding Causes 25-Foot Breach in Rail Trail                                         

The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) accessible from Thomas Street in West Boylston westward to the I-190 bridges has been temporarily closed after a 25-foot section of the trail washed away between Thursday night and Friday morning, May 7-8.

 The washout was caused by flooding of a small pond adjacent to the trail about a half mile from the Thomas Street entrance. A beaver dam built around a 48-inch culvert installed to release water from the pond blocked drainage, causing the pond to rise more than 15 feet during a torrential rain shower that night.

 Workers from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Town of West Boylston worked valiantly to save the trail during the storm that night. Ultimately, however, a devastating combination of Mother Nature’s fury and a colony of “industrious” beavers came together to cause the washout.

 Wachusett Greenways is working in tandem with the West Boylston and the DCR toward repair of breach and a long-term solution to the drainage system for the pond. In addition, this team will improve the trail by adding better drainage and surfacing along the trail from Thomas Street to the washout.  This section of trail has had problems with water collection since it was built in 1997.

 All other sections of the trail are open, including the section west of I-190 to River Street in Holden and on to Manning Street and Route 31. The trail sections in Sterling and Rutland are also open.

 Wachusett Greenways is accepting donations to help defer the cost of repairs. Contributions can be made directly to Wachusett Greenways, Box 121, Holden 01520.

 Thank you.