Category Archives: Prospect St. Tunnel

Featured, Prospect St. Tunnel, SNETT

Prospect Street Tunnel Open!

On October 30, 2020 a small group of local and state officials and FBRTC representatives gathered on a snowy day at the newly finished Prospect Street tunnel in Franklin, MA for an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

We are beyond excited about this tunnel providing a great connectivity between the the SNETT trail in Franklin and Bellingham (and beyond)! We are already seeing substantial increase in the trail usage by both the pedestrians and the bicyclists and we hope you are enjoying this wonderful nature resource in our communities as much as we are.

We are very grateful to all involved who made this project happen. Thank you for your time, effort and perseverance! Countless hours and years of work are behind the improvements you see on the trail.

We would like to use this post to gather a collection of materials about how this tunnel project came to fruition, who helped along way etc. Below please find links for you to browse at your convenience.

Happy Trails!

PS. We will have an event to celebrate with all of you when circumstances allow.

FBRTC Tunnel Approved Announcement: https://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/2019/09/13/big-news-prospect-st-tunnel-funding-approved/

Milford Daily News: A tunnel bridging a troublesome gap along the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) has been reconfigured and is open once again.

The journey to upgrade the tunnel – Franklin Matters: https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/the-franklin-bellingham-rail-trail.html

Jeff Roy: Facebook post (history of the project funding in photos) – With good synergy, great things can happen.

MetroWest Daily News: Photos – SNETT Tunnel Celebrated in Franklin

FBRTC Photos: Tunnel opening on Flickr.

Featured, Prospect St. Tunnel, SNETT

SNETT TRAIL CLOSURE ADVISORY, May 11 – October 31, 2020!

We are so excited that the tunnel project under the Prospect Street in Franklin is on schedule! Please read the advisory below about the trail closure. We also suggest to follow our Facebook page for any updates, as well as the Town of Franklin, Franklin Police and Franklin DPW pages for any traffic advisories for Prospect Street during the construction. Thank you!

WHAT:          Starting the week of Monday, May 11, 2020, and continuing through Monday, October 31, 2020, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will install a new underpass at Prospect Street in the Town of Franklin along the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT).

The trail will be closed between Lake Street in the Town of Bellingham and Spring Street in the Town of Franklin, and trail users should plan to use other parts of the SNETT during this period of time.

Additionally, due to safety concerns, the public will not be allowed within the work zone area and passage around the work zone at Prospect Street in the Town of Franklin cannot be provided. Furthermore, the time period to complete the work is only an estimate, and may require additional time to complete the project.

WHERE:       Lake Street in Bellingham and Spring Street in Franklin

WHEN:          Monday May 11, 2020 – Monday, October 31, 2020

Prospect St. Tunnel, SNETT

BIG NEWS! – Prospect st. tunnel funding approved!!

We are excited to announce that funding of the Prospect Street tunnel on the SNETT rail trail in Franklin, MA has been approved!!!

State Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin) and Rep. Mike Soter (R-Bellingham) shared this great news with the Franklin & Rail Trail Committee members, guests and visitors at our Tuesday’s meeting on September 10, 2019.

State Rep. Jeff Roy delivering the news about funding approval to FBRTC and community members.

The project will go out to bid in November 2019 and should be completed by the end of the summer/early fall of 2020.

The funding of this project is a result of many years of collective effort by FBRTC members, state legislators, DCR officials, Franklin and Bellingham Town officials and residents.

Town and State Officials present at the meeting (left to right): James Kupfer (Bellingham Town Planner), Cary Vandenakker (DCR Representative), Rep. Mike Soter (Bellingham), Melanie Hamblen (Franklin Town Councilor), Rep. Jeff Roy (Franklin), Marc Kaplan (FBRTC president)

“The Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC) is proud to be the community advocate for the SNETT and the funding of the Prospect Street tunnel project,” said Marc Kaplan, FBRTC president. “The tunnel project solves a major impasse on the SNETT and creates a seamless connection between the towns of Franklin and Bellingham. When completed, the tunnel will help realize our mission of making a universally accessible trail for all ages and abilities and will improve the quality of life for residents. We would like to thank Representatives Roy and Soter and Senators Spilka and Rausch, as well as Franklin and Bellingham Town administrators for their leadership to secure funding for this important project, and the DCR for their tireless work and direct assistance in developing the SNETT rail trail.”

We cannot forget to also thank the Franklin Odd Fellows – the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee was originally formed in January 2009 as their community project!

We are so looking forward to see this project come to a completion!

Conceptual rendering (courtesy of DCR) of the tunnel (above), current state of the trail (below).

For additional, detailed information, please visit the following resources:

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy Blog

Milford Daily News