Upper Charles Trail Extension Funded In State Bond Bill

MILFORD, MA — A major piece of funding for an extension of the Upper Charles Trail has been included in a new state infrastructure bill.

The $11.3 billion transportation bond bill passed over the weekend in the Legislature includes $1 million for "planning, acquisition, design, construction and any other costs associated with the extension of the Hopkinton Upper Charles trail," according to the law.

The Upper Charles Trail is unbroken from Holliston into Milford and up Route 85 to the Milford-Hopkinton line. But the Hopkinton Upper Charles Trail Committee wants to extend the trail to Hopkinton State Park — and eventually to a short section of the trail recently completed in Ashland.

The current plan calls for a continuation of the Milford shared-use path heading north along Route 85 to Hopkinton High School and connecting to the Center Trail in the downtown area.

The funding in the bond bill only authorizes the governor to borrow money to pay for the projects, so it's unclear if the $1 million for the Upper Charles Trail will come. Gov. Charlie Baker had initially asked for a $9.7 billion transportation bond bill. But with Baker leaving the office in November, it's possible that a new governor will be interested in the larger borrowing authorization created by the Legislature.