New Canal Trail Stretch Could Open Next Month

The long-delayed final downtown stretch of the Farmington Canal Trail could open to the public next month. 

Graffiti taggers, meanwhile, have already left their mark.

When completed, this section of the bicycle and pedestrian trail — which runs 80 miles from Northampton to New Haven — will go through the remaining downtown below-grade sections past Whitney Avenue near Audubon Street and down to Grove Street. It will then rise at street level on Grove Street and continue to Olive, Water, and to Brewery streets, and over to Long Wharf Drive.

This final phase has been in the works for over a decade. Construction on the below-grade portion between Whitney and Grove finally began in 2021 with a planned December 2022 deadline. Then a fall 2023 deadline. Then a fall 2024 deadline.

That stretch now appears fully built out, though the Grove Street entrance remains blocked by a chain-link gate. 

Graffiti taggers have clearly walked around the gate and down the not-yet-open-to-the-public path, based on various marks left on different parts of the trail.

“We are aware of the graffiti and plan to do some cleanup prior to opening,” City Plan Director Laura Brown told the Independent. ​“We anticipate an opening to the public during Bike Month” — which is May — ​“but are still working on scheduling.”

What’s been the latest cause for delays? Why didn’t this stretch of the canal trail open last fall as previously planned?

“Some electrical and signalization work that isn’t very visible to the public but necessary for safety, particularly around the tunnel section and at a new connection with Water Street, has taken longer than anticipated to complete,” Brown said. ​“That said, we are very close and very excited to soon open this new portion of the Farmington River Canal Trail for residents to use and enjoy.”