The Air Line State Park Trail is a rail trail located in Connecticut.
It follows a rail line that was known as the Air Line. It was conceived as a high speed passenger rail line from Boston to New York City, shaving 25 miles (40 km) off the old route. It reached its peak usage during the late 19th century with the famous "White Train." Passenger service ended before World War II and though freight traffic operated until August 1955, at which point the bridge over the Quinebaug River in Putnam was washed out by flooding. The section between North Windham and Putnam was abandoned in sections in the late 1950s. The 25 mile section from Portland to Willimantic was abandoned in 1965. The section from Mechanicsville Jct. in Thompson and into Massachusetts was abandoned in 1969.[1]
The abandoned rail corridor between East Hampton and the Massachusetts state line was acquired by the Connecticut State Park System with the section from Route 66 in Windham to US Route 44 in Pomfret opening to the public in 1969 as a bridle trail. In 1976, the trail designation was extended north to Town Farm Road in Putnam. The southern section from East Hampton to Willimantic was opened as a trail in 1986. The Thompson section was opened in 1992.
Air Line State Park Trail is divided into three sections:
The North section of the trail from Windham to Putnam is part of the East Coast Greenway, which will stretch from Florida to Maine.
The South and North sections are connected by the Veterans Greenway, a short town-owned rail trail on the northeast side of Willimantic, which is partially incorporated into the North section itself. The connection is not complete, as the Willimantic River bridge at the end of the South section is impassable and no trail connection has yet to be made through downtown Willimantic from the bridge to the Veterans Greenway. However a street connection is available joining the two sections by leaving the Southern section at Kingsley Road, continuing 2 miles (3.2 km) east to the Frog Bridge, crossing over the bridge, and accessing the North section via the Veterans Greenway.
In 2002, the state DEP acquired an additional 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of railbed in East Hampton, continuing the trail south from the current Smith Street terminus to Aldens Crossing Road. A bridge has been constructed to carry the trail across a brook where the original rail bridge was missing. The bridge was designed and built by cadets of the United States Coast Guard Academy under the supervision of William O'Neill, an adjunct professor of engineering at the academy and former state governor. Due to confusion as to which state agency had ownership of the stretch of land, the bridge was built without the necessary permissions, and almost demolished but allowed to remain due to a lease agreement with the town.[2]
No other work has yet been done to improve this section.
Conditions of trail sections as of December 2011.
Watrous Street to Smith Street, East Hampton: A half-mile extension of the trail now exists between Smith Street and Watrous Street near the center of East Hampton. This section is graded and has a smooth, hard-packed stone dust surface.
Smith Street, East Hampton to State Route 87, Columbia: This section of the trail has been completed. It has a smooth, hard-packed stone dust surface, benches for resting at more scenic locations, and bike racks. Brand new bridges constructed by cadets from the US Coast Guard Academy carry the trail across the Blackledge and Jeremy Rivers and Judd Brook. This section crosses the Rapallo and Lyman Viaducts, massive fills that carried the railroad and now trail across wide valleys. They provide spectacular views, especially in the fall. There is a short (less than 1/4 mile) on-road detour necessary where the Route 2 expressway blocks the railroad bed.
State Route 87, Columbia to Kingsley Road, Lebanon: The trail has been cleared and some drainage improvements made, but the surface on this section is still unfinished and is mostly dirt and gravel. It is suitable for most bikes. The section is open except for the section between Cook Hill Rd and Village Hill Rd, where the DEP is working to establish the boundary of the railbed. A sign is posted at Cook Hill describing a detour around this section. The town of Lebanon and the state DEP are working hard to upgrade this section and finish the surface.
Kingsley Road, Lebanon to Willimantic River: The trail dead ends at the Willimantic River, as the bridge across to Windham is not passable. The girders from the old railroad bridge are still in place, but the bridge had no deck and is fenced off. The state plans to put a new deck on this bridge at some future point, which would extend the trail into downtown Willimantic and connect it to the Hop River State Park Trail and the northern section of the Airline State Park trail.
The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:
| Street | Town | Coordinates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watrous Street | East Hampton | ||
| Smith Street | East Hampton | parking area | |
| Bull Hill Road | Colchester | parking area | |
| River Road | Colchester | parking area; railroad bridge | |
| Route 149 | Colchester | parking area | |
| On road: under Route 2 via Route 149 | Hebron | ||
| Old Hartford Road | Hebron | parking area | |
| Grayville Road | Hebron | parking area | |
| Old Colchester Road | Hebron | parking area | |
| Route 85 | Hebron | parking area | |
| North Pond Road | Hebron | ||
| Route 207 | Hebron | parking area | |
| Leonard Bridge Road | Lebanon | parking area | |
| Chesbro Bridge Road | Lebanon | parking area | |
| Route 87 | Columbia | ||
| Cook Hill Road | Lebanon | parking area | |
| 1.1 mile on road around closed segment | |||
| Village Hill Road | Lebanon | parking area | |
| Kingsley Road | Lebanon |
Though open to the public for its entire length, different segments of the trail are in different stages of development. Some sections are complete and have a finished, stone-dust surface and signage. Other sections have been cleared and had drainage work done, but still have a somewhat rough, unfinished surface that is not suitable for road bikes. Other parts are totally undeveloped and overgrown.
There are no major obstructions of the North section of the trail in the form of missing or unsafe bridges. Though some parts of the trail may be undeveloped, this area does not have the many river crossings of the southern section. The two bridge crossings there are (over Boulevard Road in Windham and across the Quinebaug River in Putnam) have all been repaired and rebuilt for trail use.
The trail continues west of Route 66 as the Veterans Greenway, a town-owned bikeway that leads to downtown Willimantic.
The following is a section by section description of the trail's current conditions, as of September 2010.
Route 66, Windham to Windham/Chaplin town line: This section has seen many upgrades in recent years. The section's first 1/4 mile was paved as part of the US 6/Route 66 interchange reconstruction project. The state and the town of Windham cleared, graded, installed signage and put down a smooth stone-dust surface on the entire section of the trail in Windham. This included the construction of a trail bridge over Boulevard Road.
Windham/Chaplin town line to Wrights Crossing Road, Pomfret: This section was cleared and graded by the National Guard in the mid-1990s. The surface was not finished and is still rough in sections and there are drainage issues in areas that sometimes flood the trail. There has not been much maintenance done on the trail in the last few years, so even the areas that were cleared have become somewhat grown in. Still, the trail is passable for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. The town of Chaplin has received a grant to grade, add signage and finish the surface of the trail with stone dust from the Windham town line to the Hampton town line. This work has not yet been started.
Wrights Crossing Road, Pomfret to Town Farm Road, Putnam: This section of trail is completely undeveloped. It has not been cleared and is overgrown, with a rough surface, tree falls, and several wet areas with drainage problems. It is necessary to climb embankments to cross some roads where former bridges have been filled in. It is not really passable, and must be done on foot if attempted.
North of Town Farm Road, the rail bed is privately owned, but the town of Putnam has received a grant to obtain an easement along the right of way and finish the trail from Town Farm Road to the Quinebaug River. This would extend the public trail to Kennedy Drive in Putnam, where a footbridge has already been constructed to carry the trail over the Quinebaug River and connect to Putnam's River Trail.
The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:
| Street | Town | Coordinates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Street | Willimantic | Terminus | |
| Milk Street | Willimantic | parking area | |
| Valley Street | Willimantic | ||
| Route 195 / Ash Street | Willimantic | ||
| On road: Route 66 and Tuckie Road | Windham | ||
| Route 203 / North Windham Road | Windham | ||
| Boulevard Road | Windham | ||
| Chewink Road | Chaplin | parking area | |
| South Brook Street | Hampton | ||
| US Route 6 | Hampton | Overpass - no connection | |
| Potter Road | Hampton | parking: Goodwin Conservation Center | |
| Estabrooks Road | Hampton | ||
| Station Road | Hampton | ||
| Griffin Road | Hampton | ||
| Kenyon Road | Hampton | parking area | |
| Lewis Road | Hampton | ||
| Route 97 | Pomfret | ||
| Brooklyn Road | Pomfret | ||
| US Route 44 | Pomfret | ||
| Covell Road | Pomfret | ||
| Babbitt Hill Road | Pomfret | ||
| Route 169 / US Route 44 | Pomfret | parking area | |
| Needles Eye Road | Pomfret | ||
| Wright's Crossing Road | Pomfret | ||
| Holmes Road | Pomfret | ||
| Modock Road | Putnam | ||
| River Road | Putnam | ||
| Town Farm Road | Putnam | ||
| Unknown Road | Putnam | ||
| Kennedy Drive | Putnam | Terminus |
Entire Section: The trail is undeveloped, with no actual work having been done to convert the rail bed to a trail. The rails and ties have been removed, but the surface of the trail is mostly the original ballast, with some sections washboarded and other sections flooded. The trail is clear of any major obstructions and is followable on foot, but would be difficult even for a mountain bike. Many areas have been eroded by illegal ATV use, which is a problem on this section. Bridges are still in place to carry the trail safely across the Exit 98 ramps of I-395, and to carry some cross roads over the trail. Some smaller bridges over brooks and streams are not as safe, either missing decks, or just missing altogether. A high bridge over a brook about 3/4 mile south of the Route 200 underpass is missing and requires a detour on an ATV trail that can be wet. It is necessary to climb some embankments to cross some streets.
The trail crosses the following roads, providing access:
| Street | Town | Coordinates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 193 / Thompson Road | Thompson (south of Thompson center) | Terminus | |
| Exit 98 ramps | Thompson | Bridge over ramps - no connection | |
| Route 200 / Thompson Hill Road | Thompson | Overpass - no connection | |
| Sunset Hill Road | Thompson | ||
| Lowell Davis Road | Thompson | ||
| Interstate 395 | Thompson | Overpass - no connection | |
| Route 193 / Thompson Road | Thompson (north of Thompson center) | Overpass - no connection | |
| Sand Dam Road | Thompson | ||
| East Thompson Road | Thompson |
The trail continues east and north into Massachusetts, at Douglas as the Southern New England Trunkline Trail, part of the MA State Park System. The surface in MA is the same as in CT, but Mass has improved access at trailheads and road crossings. This trail continues all the way to Franklin, MA.
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