Welcome to the FVTC!
The FVTC was founded in 1992 by Preston Reed of Farmington as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation to promote public awareness of the conversion of the abandoned Canal Railroad into the central Connecticut portion of the multi-use Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (FCHT) and the Farmington River Trail. Today the organization has sixteen volunteer director/officers, encompasses nine towns and has over sixteen hundred members. The Adopt-a-Trail Program has over one hundred volunteers providing maintenance for all thirty two miles of paved trail currently completed. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been granted since our inception for construction and enhancements. Other functions are regional advocacy, and events like clean-up days and Trails in Motion, held for the last fifteen years out of Simsbury, CT in June, on National Trails Day. The FVTC disseminates ten thousand folding maps a year and has created a comprehensive guide of the trail system. We are proud to work with all of the regional stakeholders toward the final completion of the trail system creating one of the premier contiguous multi-use trails in America, and we welcome your support as a member or volunteer. Please see Maps and Trails: Trail Miles Status and Resources: Links: Publications: Why Multi-Use Trails in Connecticut? for further information.
SAFETY INFORMATION - NORTHERN SIMSBURY
CL & P has informed FVTC of two projects that will impact Trail users. On May 9, there will be trucks on the Trail from the Wolcott Rd crossing south for 1/4 mile. Flagmen will be at both ends to ensure Trail users' safety.
Starting on May 16 and continuing for 10 days, there will be intermittent CL & P traffic on the Trail at two locations: from Wolcott Rd south for about 1/4 mile; and crossing the Trail behind the old Valero station, which is about .7 mile south of Wolcott Rd. Flagmen will be at both locations to ensure Trail users' safety.
THE RIVER TRAIL IN BURLINGTON IS IN POOR CONDITION
The River Trail in Burlington currently remains open, however it is in a deteriorated state and we urge caution for all users, particularly road bikers who may prefer to use RT 4 (up the Burlington parking lot ramp north to Collinsville) to avoid the bumpy pavement. The Town is in the process of recieving the remaining funding necessary for the reconstruction of the Trail and hopes to start by late this season or early in 2014.
SAFETY NEWS IN EAST GRANBY
Connecticut Light and Power has installed gates on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail off Turkey Hills Road [RT 20] in East Granby. The gates will be installed before transmission line construction and will remain open until construction starts. Following, the gates will be closed.
Orange “Caution Construction Zone” signs, 12”x18” will be installed on both sides of each gate. Also, a sign at the Farmington Canal trail adjacent to Hartford Avenue will be placed on the existing gate. "STOP AHEAD” in bold white paint will be painted on the pavement approximately 50 feet ahead of the gates on both sides. A steel plate will be installed to protect the pavement. Pavement patching will be applied to provide a small ramp on either side of the steel plate. An anti-skid coating will be applied and maintained on the steel plate.
UPDATE: CL & P expects this work to be completed by June.
PLAINVILLE NEWS - FARMINGTON CANAL HERITAGE TRAIL
The Town of Plainville, due to the lack of progress in purchasing the railroad ROW north to Farmington, has decided to seek funding to construct the first piece of off-road trail at Norton Park. This piece, at less than 2 miles, runs through the Park and onto South Washington St. to the Southington town line. The project is estimated at $500,000 of which 80% is funded, the rest owed by the town. The FVTC has pledged to help Plainville with the remaining part of the funding shortfall and as the current round of project funding requests becomes known we will be in a better position to start our fund-raising activities. This is an important part of the remaining gap in the FCHT and the East Coast Greenway.
