Hop River Trail advocates thank Bolton for Notch Tunnel lighting; selectmen back regional safe-crossings study

Sylvia O’Harew, secretary of the Hop River Trail Alliance and a Bolton resident, told the Board of Selectmen on Dec. 2 that the recently completed Bolton Notch Tunnel lighting will improve safety and accessibility for trail users and thanked the board for its support. "The Connecticut Trail Census ... had 87,000 passes in 2024," O’Harew said, adding the figure understates local usage because some users bypass the tunnel.

The board heard that the tunnel lighting is designed as daytime, solar-timed illumination tied to sunrise and sunset, and that the Hop River State Park Trail is closed at night. O’Harew invited residents to a celebration on Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. to view the new lights.

Later on the agenda the board considered a separate but related item: whether Bolton should be included in a seven-town Recreational Trails Program grant application to study road-crossing safety along the Hop River Trail. O’Harew described the grant as a two-step effort that would (1) study current crossing conditions, vehicle speeds and sight lines across seven towns and collect usage counts, and (2) produce a set of recommended best practices per crossing; a subsequent grant would fund implementation. "This first grant is just about study and recommendation," she said.

Selectmen voted to authorize Bolton’s inclusion in the grant application and to direct staff to provide a letter of support to accompany the application. The board recorded the vote as 6 in favor, 1 absent.

The study, if funded, would compile crossing counts and safety recommendations intended to inform later construction or traffic-control projects; the board took no immediate financial obligation beyond supporting the application. The next steps identified were to provide the letter of support and coordinate with neighboring towns participating in the joint application.