I spent the last 2 evening (til 11 pm) at the Bedford Town Meeting. After 2 hours of debate, the town voted to spend $210,000 on a design study to pave the Reformatory Branch rail trail. The design study will enable the town to apply for state or federal funds to do the construction and paving. To meet specs and be eligible for funding, the path will need to be wider than it currently is (I think it needs to be 12 feet and the current dirt path is only 8 feet) and have 4 foot high guardrails where the embankment drops away. There was a contingent in town that wanted an improved dirt surface to maintain the rural character, but in the end, the paved surface got about a 2/3 majority. The original proposal called for paving the path only from the Depot (where the Minuteman Trail ends) to Rt. 62, but town meeting voted to do the design all the way to the Bedford/Concord line, another 0.3 miles. This would assure a safe crossing of Rt. 62 and a paved path all the way to Concord center if and when Concord improves their part of the rail trail.
