Rails to Trails

A 25 mile multi use site about a lovely 25 mile multi-use trail being constructed through five towns in the Farmington Valley of Central Connecticut. The Farmington Valley Greenway and a spur route, the Farmington River Trail, are part of the Farmington Canal Heritage trail covering 60 miles along the abandoned rail corridors from the Massachusetts border to New Haven.

Section from Copper Hill Road south to Route 20 (near the Granby town line) has been paved and was opened in late November,1999.

Route 20 to Route 189 has been paved and is now open.

East Granby- from Rte 189 to Rte 20 North to Copper Hill
Road.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a 14-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching America's communities and

countryside by creating a nationwide network of public trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors.

Founding of the FVTC

As trucks and airlines took over freight and passenger service, many railroads lines were dropped from service and lines such as the Canal Railroad were adandoned. Congress, in 1991 , established funding through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) which allowed conversion of these railbeds into multi-usage recreational paths.

The FVTC (Farmington Valley Trails Council) was formed as a non profit organization in 1992 to promote and support the conversion of the abandoned Canal Railroad into the Farmington Valley Greenway. The Greenway and the Farmington River Trail which follows abandoned railbeds from Farmington through Unionville, Collinsville, Canton and back to the main trail at Simsbury are all part of the national Rails to Trails program. It is a vital link in the New England East Coast Greenway.

The primary role of the FVTC is to increase public awareness of the Greenway and work with local town governments toward completion of all sections. .......

A visable output of the organization is the map/ informational guide depicted below.