Public Hearing Notice  LYNNFIELD/WAKEFIELD - proposed Rail Trail Extension, from the Galvin Middle School to the Lynnfield/Peabody Town Line project

Purpose:

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Rail Trail Extension project within the towns of Lynnfield and Wakefield. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

The proposed project consists of constructing a shared-use path for pedestrian and bicyclists along an abandoned railroad corridor, beginning at the Main Street/Bennett Street intersection in Wakefield and extending northerly through Lynnfield to the Peabody city-line. The proposed trail is approximately 4.4 miles long and consists of a 10 to 12-foot-wide asphalt surface for about 2/3 of its alignment and elevated boardwalk through the Reedy Meadow and low areas within the floodplain. The project also includes paved parking areas, safety improvements at roadway crossings, new signs and pavement markings and landscape enhancements.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The towns of Lynnfield and Wakefield are responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this hearing.

Written views received by MassDOT subsequent to the date of this notice and up to five (5) days prior to the date of the hearing shall be displayed for public inspection and copying at the time and date listed above. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project. A project handout will be made available on the MassDOT website listed below.

Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857) 368-8580, fax (857) 368-0602, TTD/TTY (857) 368-0603 or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten (10) business days before the meeting.