Weston Rail Trail Committee Advances Trailhead Designs at Church Street and Concord Road

WESTON — October 29, 2018 — Weston's Rail Trail Advisory Committee unanimously approved revised design directions for two trailheads at Concord Road and Church Street, with a spring 2019 construction start as the target. Meeting on October 29, the committee directed engineers at Nitsch Engineering to consolidate both handicapped parking spaces on the south spur at Concord Road — pulling them off a north-spur layout that had pushed costs nearly $40,000 above interim budget estimates due to a required retaining wall and the removal of a cluster of significant trees. At Church Street, the committee voted to keep the existing crosswalk location, redesign it as perpendicular to the road, and add an activated pedestrian light, while also directing engineers to explore routing the accessible path along the existing Eversource gravel access road rather than building new sidewalk toward the trail — a change intended to reduce pavement, preserve trees, and resolve competing easement claims involving the MBTA, DCR, Eversource, and a 2004 lease held by Gregory Ranieri. The committee also received word from DCR project manager Stella Lensing that she intends to walk the planting-plan site after leaf fall, citing concerns that the proposed plant quantities are too aggressive for available funding.