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Derry Rail Trail Safety Concerns Still Unresolved

NHDOT favors cost-saving design; rail trail and safety advocates prefer safer tunnel design.

The dispute lingers over the design of a one-mile section of currently unpaved trail linking the paved Derry and Londonderry rail trails, part of the Granite State Rail Trail. In order to cross what will become a six-lane access road for Exit 4A on the expanded I-93, NH Department of Transportation had previously settled on a tunnel design following the linear path of the old rail line. But NHDOT has now settled on a circuitous, and arguably unsafe, so-called “spaghetti plan” in order to save approximately $750,000 in the $110 million project.

After four Derry Town Council meetings between November and January where rail trail advocates spoke in favor of having the tunnel plan restored, on January 3 the Council voted to accept the “spaghetti trail plan,” over concerns that the Town would have to bear the cost of the tunnel plan. Trail advocates argued that the cost concern is unfounded because of a 2015 agreement between the Town of Derry and NHDOT capping the Town’s cost at $5 million for the environmental study.

The Town Council Chair indicated that if the tunnel plan had been put to a vote 18 months ago, the Council most likely would have approved it.  Trail advocates expressed frustration with NHDOT over delays and a lack of openness during the process.

Noting that the project is of statewide concern given its key location along the Granite State Rail Trail, trail advocates came away with the impression that the Town Council discounted the input of non-residents.

The next step appears to be decisions by the federal agencies that must approve the plan since 80% of the project cost is being provided by federal agencies (with the remaining 20% being covered by toll credits). The Town of Derry is not a contributor to the construction cost. At last report, NHDOT had not yet submitted the final plans to the federal agencies.  If those agencies deem the “spaghetti plan” unsafe and impractical, they can reject it and have the tunnel plan restored with no cost to the Town of Derry.

Stay tuned — BWANH and NH Rail Trails Coalition are not done yet!

(If you want to review all the gory details of this project and the battle to get the tunnel design re-instated, check out this page on the BWANH website.)