The Maple Road to Hart Pond section of the trail will be closed beginning today, Monday March 22. The Chelmsford DPW resumed repair work on the trail during the week of March 15th. Removal of damaged pavement has been done near High Street and several locations between High Street and Maple Road. This latter section is now closed to trail use due to hazards from exposed tree roots and uneven base material. Major portions of the trail are CLOSED to all use due to the amount of damaged pavement that has been removed. This makes it unsafe for bicycle and pedestrian use. From the Rt. 3 tunnel/Lowell line heading toward Chelmsford Center, a crew is working to remove roots, regrade and compact the trail base.
When the asphalt plant opens (hopefully by early April), it is expected that repaving of excavated sections will begin shortly thereafter, starting again from the Rt.3 tunnel/Lowell line and proceeding south toward Chelmsford Center and toward the Westford town line, weather permitting. Once paving and final cleanup is completed, sections of the trail will be reopened sequentially.