Construction update 5-12-16

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has contracted with E.T.&L. Corporation to build Phase II of the Clipper City Rail Trail.  In the coming weeks, neighbors will see workers clearing debris from the corridor and establishing the pathway’s centerline and limits of work.  Abutters should remove any property that might be stored in the corridor.  The first major phase of construction is expected to begin in late May or June once the state’s survey workers have marked the trail, with the contractor’s crews clearing trees and other vegetation along the corridor primarily between Parker and Water Streets.  Trees and other vegetation need to be cleared in order to excavate and grade the pathway, as well as provide clear and open sight lines for the eventual users of the trail.  The majority of trees that will be removed are formally listed as “invasive species” that threaten native plants, primarily Norway maples and black locusts as well as others.  Note that new trees, shrubs and other plantings will be installed along the corridor towards the end of the job.  Tree clearing is almost never pretty, and the corridor will look very different from the existing conditions with which people are familiar.  We appreciate everyone’s patience with this phase of construction.