Sudbury Gets $192K State Grant For Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Design

SUDBURY, MA — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has awarded Sudbury $192,000 toward completing the next section of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Route 20 to the Framingham line.

The grant awarded on Wednesday will allow Sudbury to design the new section of trail. The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is being built in two phases in Sudbury: the first phase under construction now from the Concord line to Route 20, and the second section south of Route 20.

The town and state officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first 4-1/2 mile section from Concord in May.

Sudbury's award was part of $12 million in DCR trail grants given out this week. Each grant comes with a matching requirement, with Sudbury responsible for $48,000 of the design work.

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail — named for a former Chelmsford state lawmaker who was a trail advocate — is a larger rail trail project that, when complete, will span Lowell to Framingham. About 15 miles of the trail has been completed from the Lowell and Chelmsford line through Concord.