Regional rail-trails collaborative lays out 114-mile vision, funding gaps and new "trail challenge"

Mike Tualze, founder and president of the regional rail-trails collaborative, told Cheshire County commissioners on Feb. 12 that volunteers and municipal partners are progressing on multiple trail rehabilitation projects but face significant funding shortfalls for washout repairs and missing bridge connections.

Tualze outlined the collaborative’s vision for about 114 miles of connected trails across the region — including the Cheshire Rail Trail, Ashuelot, Fort Hill and Monadnock corridors — and described recent work completed through RTP and other grants. "It's a total of a 114 miles," he said, urging that incremental fixes and connecting projects could unlock tourism and commuting benefits.

Tualze reported several major washouts caused by storms; an engineering firm’s estimate to repair four of the collapsed sections is $1,700,000, up from an original grant scope of $750,000. He said remaining questions include who will cover the extra cost and whether DOT or other partners will pick up a significant share. "The question is who's gonna make up the difference and nobody knows," he said.

Bridges were a key focus: two missing structures remain on the Cheshire Veil Trail (a bridge over Route 101 and another over Swansea Factory Road). Tualze said full rehabilitation of those links and upgrades to pedestrian standards could approach $4 million in combined work. He also detailed seasonal constraints on tree removal tied to northern long-eared bat protections (work permitted Nov. 1–Apr. 15 for certain federal grants) and explained why some tree clearing must be done under state grant rules through snowmobile-club partnerships.

Legislative action may ease permit burdens: Tualze reported testimony on Senate Bill 274, which would transfer several rail corridors, including the Cheshire Rail Trail, from the DOT to the Bureau of Trails; he said the bill would add bureau staff capacity and an emergency repair fund ($1,000,000 was discussed in testimony), while potentially easing design requirements that DOT applies to transportation corridors.

To raise awareness and sponsorship, the collaborative intends to launch the "Mananock Veil Trail Challenge" in partnership with the Greater Monadnock Collaborative and a private vendor. Tualze described a phone-based passport/check-in model with an expected $30 registration fee, sponsored-business check-ins, and swag (t-shirts, patches, hats) to drive economic benefit to small businesses along the routes. Tualze said the challenge aims to create measurable footfall data for businesses and begin marketing the network to nearby urban centers.

Commissioners asked about ownership and right-of-way issues (Tualze said most corridors are state-owned, with small privately owned gaps), the timing of grant cycles, and maintenance equipment storage. There were no votes or directives tied specifically to the rail-trails briefing during the meeting.

Next steps identified include continued grant-writing to cover the washouts, inspections and engineering for key bridges, coordination with DOT and the Bureau of Trails on Senate Bill 274, and outreach to potential private sponsors and local businesses to support the trail challenge.