By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Stantec design team’s work on Phase 1 of the Lynnfield Rail Trail is continuing to move forward, Department of Public Works (DPW) Director John Scenna said during a recent Select Board meeting.
Scenna recalled that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently approved funding Phase 1 of the Lynnfield Rail Trail in fiscal year 2026, totaling $6,062,695. He also noted that Spring Town Meeting approved three warrant articles related to Phase 1 of the Lynnfield Rail Trail. Phase 1 will go from Ford Avenue, which is off of Perry Avenue, to Nichols Lane in Peabody.
“It is still a rail trail project that connects Peabody to Wakefield through Lynnfield in two phases,” said Scenna.
Spring Town Meeting approved Article 6, which authorized the Select Board to enter into temporary easement agreements for Phase 1 of the Lynnfield Rail Trail, by a 783-324 vote. The temporary easements pertain to a single-family home located at 130 Summer St. as well as St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 127 Summer St.
Voters also approved Article 7, which accepted a portion of Ford Avenue that has not been accepted as a public way as a public way, by a 595-475 vote.
Spring Town Meeting approved Article 8, which dedicated an unused portion of land on Lynnfield Middle School property adjacent to the athletic fields in order to allow people to access the rail trail, by a 563-487 vote.
Scenna said the Conservation Commission has discussed the environmental work associated with the rail trail during two public hearings.
“We received a lot of feedback at the two public hearings,” said Scenna. “Once Town Meeting approved the last few articles that were needed to bring the project forward, we decided to listen to some of these comments. While we were hoping to complete our public hearing in May, we decided to continue it to June.”
Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori informed the Villager that the Conservation Commission will be discussing the Lynnfield Rail Trail at its next meeting on Tuesday, June 17.
Scenna recalled that rail trail abutters on Ford Avenue and Perry Avenue expressed concerns about flooding and tree removal during both Spring Town Meeting and the Conservation Commission’s public hearings. As a result, Scenna said the Stantec project team is looking to address the tree-clearing concerns at the LMS entrance that have been raised.
“We have made some of those changes, and MassDOT is in support of them,” said Scenna. “At the end of the day, this is still their project. We can propose, but it is up to them to dispose. They have been very receptive to the changes we have brought forward.”
Scenna also said MassDOT has informed the project team that the state agency is “open to tree mitigation.” He said the project team is looking to replant the trees that are cut down near the rail trail or in “another area” of town.
“We have asked for examples of what they have done in some other communities with tree mitigation,” said Scenna. “We plan to provide the Planning and Conservation Department with those sample mitigation plans from other projects.”
Scenna said he and the Stantec project team hopes that the Conservation Commission will issue an Order of Conditions for Phase 1 of the rail trail in June.
“It doesn’t end there,” said Scenna. “The environmental process continues with MassDOT. There is an Army Corps of Engineers review that has to take place. By the end of September, we believe that we will have that complete.”
Scenna said MassDOT’s environmental team will need to sign off on “environmental clearance” issues as well.
“We expect all of that to be wrapped up this fall,” said Scenna.
Scenna said MassDOT will be reviewing the right-of-way plans that were approved by Spring Town Meeting as well as an inter-municipal agreement that the Select Board approved with the city of Peabody that pertains to the work that will occur on Nichols Lane in Peabody. He anticipates that Phase 1’s construction plans will tentatively be finished by the end of July.
“We expect this going out to bid sometime in 2026,” said Scenna.
Scenna anticipates Phase 1 of the rail trail will take a year or two to construct.
“I would rather be conservative,” said Scenna. “We don’t know when the contractor is looking to start, we don’t know who the contractor is even going to be, and we don’t know the impacts of weather and winter on this project schedule. At this point, we are saying an 18 to 24 month schedule.”
Scenna said the town has applied for MassTrails grants from the Department of Conservation and Recreation that could be used for either the rail trail or to create walking trails at Willis Woods on upper Main Street.