The Trail in Needham has become a valued and popular resource for town residents, each week seeing hundreds of walkers, bikers, joggers and strollers.
But for many, the trail ends too abruptly as one heads from the river eastward toward High Rock St and beyond. The value of the trail would be increased manyfold if there were a natural and accessible route to Chestnut Street, a path that would enable commuters to get to the train station, shoppers to get to local stores, and travelers in general to cross through Town along a more scenic route.
While there is more immediate work to be done on the trail, including the development of a trailhead near the current High Rock terminus, this is a call to re-energize the discussion on completing the original vision of the Needham Trail, linking the Charles River to the commercial district of Chestnut Street.
As a starting point perhaps, here is a link to a study done in 2014 that details two alternative routes: one on the MBTA right of way, the other making use of the NStar (now EverSource) property adjacent to the tracks.
Here are images of the two alternatives:
