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Shoreline Greenway Trail Moving Forward in Guilford

As the Shoreline Greenway Trail slowly comes together across the region, Guilford is getting ready to begin constructing the first section of the trail in town. With construction approval from the state due back in the next few months, the Guilford Shoreline team is working to shore up funding.

The Shoreline Greenway Trail is a planned, 25-mile continuous path designed for cyclists, walkers, and hikers. Once completed, the trail will span five towns, with Lighthouse Point in New Haven marking one end and Hammonasset State Park in Madison marking the other.

Guilford Town Team Co-Chair Milton Charlton said the first section of the trail will be 0.7 miles long and will link East River Bridge to the junction of Boston Street and Route 1.

“Eventually we aim to have the Shoreline Greenway Trail cross Guilford, linking up with trail sections in Branford and Madison, for a total of about 5.5 miles in Guilford,” he said.

To get the first section of the trail approved, the Guilford team has been working with the town on the trail design and ensuring state approval.

“The office of the town engineer has graciously provided design services for the first section in Guilford, and has been working with the state Department of Transportation [DOT] to get the design approved—an essential step because the first section will be built on state right-of-way,” Charlton said. “Currently the final design is under review by DOT, and we hope for approval within the next couple of months.”

Assistant Town Engineer Mark Damiani said the final stage of the design is currently under review by the state.

“They had some comments on the semifinal design, so we have addressed those comments and sent it back to them,” he said.

Damiani said they expect a response within the next month from the state.

“Then there is just supposed to be one more meeting with the state,” he said. “The intent was in the next couple of months or so all the comments would be addressed and it would go out for bid. The state is looking to move this project forward.”

While awaiting final approval from the state, Charlton said the group is working to finalize funding.

“Funding for the first section in Guilford will come from a variety of sources, including a federal grant, state grants, and Shoreline Greenway funds from members and donors,” he said. “All necessary funding is expected to be in hand at the time that final approval is received from the state. We hope to be able to solicit bids and begin construction within the next nine months, or perhaps less.”

Guilford Team Co-Chair Pam Bisbee-Simonds said they have already held fundraising events this summer and have more lined up for the fall.

“We plan to apply for local grants this fall,” she said. “We are considering a bicycling fundraising event along with our other three town’s teams. We’ve organized other events, such as a successful Kids’ Bike Safety Rodeo in June, and the recent July First Saturday Bike Ride with 40 riders. And we are looking forward to marching and biking again in the annual Guilford Fair Parade in September. Finally, we hope we will have a groundbreaking event for the first trail section in Guilford as soon as plans are confirmed.”

To learn more about the Shoreline Greenway Trail, visit www.shorelinegreenwaytrail.org.