Connecticut officials, volunteers unveil lights at Hop River tunnel to improve safety and accessibility

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials and local volunteers on Dec. 4, 2025, unveiled a new lighting system at the Bolton Notch tunnel on the Hop River State Park Trail, part of the Restore Connecticut State Parks infrastructure improvement initiative intended to address safety and accessibility concerns.

Mason Trumbull, deputy commissioner of DEEP, said the project was one of many funded after a state-directed investment. "The governor asked us to make a big investment in our Connecticut State Parks, investing $70,000,000, over the course of 3 years into our park system," Trumbull said, and he cited pandemic-era visitation growth: "We went from about 13,000,000 visitors a year, over the course of 2 years to about 19,000,000 visitors." Trumbull said higher use highlighted wear on infrastructure and the need for targeted projects across the park system.

Brian Wilson, director of the division of state parks and public outreach, opened the ceremony at Bolton Notch and introduced agency staff and partners from the Connecticut Department of Transportation who helped deliver the project.

Volunteer advocates described how local outreach and data shaped the decision to add lighting. "The vast majority of people ... described [the tunnel] was too dark and unsafe," said Barbara Modio of Bike Walk Bolton, summarizing years of surveys and audits that the volunteer group conducted beginning in 2016. Modio and others pointed to Connecticut Trail Census counter readings the group used to quantify trail use: volunteers said the counter recorded roughly 160,000 passes during the COVID years and about 87,000 passes last year.

Organizers also highlighted accessibility improvements at trail entrances intended to make the route usable for people with ADA-accessible bicycles and other adaptive equipment. Trumbull thanked DOT staff and named engineers and DEEP trail managers who worked on design and field implementation.

John Baldock, president of the Hop River Trail Alliance, said the alliance—formed in 2022 and representing seven towns along the trail—will lead a short guided walk to the east side of the tunnel after the ceremony. Event organizers closed remarks and proceeded with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The unveiling completes a locally driven project that combined volunteer advocacy, student feasibility work and interagency collaboration; speakers said additional trail fixes (including a rough railroad brook section) are scheduled for 2026. No formal vote or policy action was recorded at the ceremony.