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VTrans outlines rail-trails program, flood repairs and local projects as user counts rise
Summary
Vermont Agency of Transportation officials described the rail-trails program’s responsibilities, recent capital projects, user-data efforts and flood recovery work that has affected dozens of trail sites in 2023–24.
Jackie Casino, VTrans Railtrails program manager, told a February agency briefing that VTrans now oversees roughly 144 miles of state-owned rail‑banked trails and performs coordination, maintenance, permitting and outreach for those corridors.
The program, created in 2022, manages four state rail‑trail corridors including the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT), the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail (MVRT), the Delaware & Hudson (DNH) and a short BB Spur. "We have around 158 total [rail‑banked] miles. So of those, VTrans manages 144," Casino said, noting the trails are four‑season facilities used by a range of non‑motorized users and, in winter, by authorized snowmobile use in some segments.
Why it matters: the trails are regional recreation and tourism assets and support local economies; VTrans is positioning the rail‑trails program to combine maintenance, standard design practices and local partnerships while tracking user demand to better schedule upkeep and support towns that depend on trail visitors.
Casino said the program maintains 79 bridges across its trails, manages seasonal mowing (about 290 miles annually), and relies on partnerships with regional planning commissions, towns, tourism and volunteer trail…
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