Page 347 - BOXFORD

THE BOXFORD BORDER TO BOSTON TRAIL COMMITTEE

Exciting news for 2015 is the awarding of the Essex National Heritage Commission $2000 grant
for building two Kiosks for the Boxford rail-trail, to be installed in 2016 at the trail heads on the
public shoulders of Pye Brook Lane and at the Georgetown Road rail-trail crossing Boxford
Town Meeting approved the required matching funds from Boxford’s CPC account.

2015, since 2013, have been slow years as the 25 % design work remains under review with
Massachusetts DOT (Department of Transportation.)

The Town was informed by Mass DOT in November 2014 that it is going to conduct an analysis
of alternate route alignments that avoid 20 Kelsey Road entirely. However, the results of the
alternatives analysis are not yet known.

The measurement of the electric wires to the ground along both sides of the Boxford rail-trail is
complete and waiting approval by National Grid.

While the paving project of the Boxford Border to Boston (BtoB) is a long way into the future,
the current 1850 rail-trail is usable for passive recreation. Come out and enjoy the rail-trail.
The southern Boxford rail-trail, beginning at the rail-trail head on Pye Brook Lane, is an
enjoyable connection to the Topsfield Linear Trail. This leads to the southern section of the
BtoB Trail through Topsfield, Wenham, and Danvers to Route 114. The time to explore and
enjoy this trail is now.

The northern Boxford BtoB section begins at Pond Street and continues into Georgetown. The
public is encouraged to walk/bike/XC ski/snowshoe the BtoB thru Boxford, both the southern
and northern sections.

Description of the route from Pond Street: heading north. (Park parallel on Pond Street.)
About half a mile up the trail, just prior to reaching Kelsey Road, a sign post points left, go
across the ditch to a wood trail that crosses a private lot at the corner of Hemlock and Kelsey
Road. Upon exiting, cross Kelsey Road and enter the Kelsey Arboretum. Please open and close
the front deer fence gate and follow the Bay Circuit perimeter trail to the exit pedestrian back
deer gate. Do visit the Arboretum as part of your rail-trail travels thru Boxford. Please walk your
bike thru the Arboretum. After exiting (open and close) the back gate, follow the arrows, turn
left and walk/bike on an old Kelsey Nursery path, turn right up a short slope, walk/bike along
two trail easements, crossing a ditch and turn left back onto the rail-trail. You can cross
Georgetown Road to Baldpate Pond and into Georgetown.

In 2015, this committee built a boardwalk over the wet area between Georgetown Road and
Baldpate Pond. Please leave the boardwalks in place, as this rail-bed is shared with National
Grid maintenance trucks.

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