ANDOVER — The first town-sponsored, accessible trail had people of all ages and mobility enjoying the scenery and fresh air at Haggetts Pond on Friday.
The Haggetts Pond Rail Trail, a long-awaited project to improve accessibility to the beloved trail, was completed earlier this week after years of effort to make it more welcoming for all users while expanding recreational opportunities for the greater community.
Families walked with their youngsters and dogs, couples took a stroll and those needing mobility assistance traversed the newly paved trail spanning 0.6 miles to the pond’s outlook.
The Haggetts Pond Rail Trail redeveloped a former railbed that encircled the pond with asphalt instead of dirt to make it accessible for all visitors. The 0.6-mile, 8-feet-wide, paved trail is Andover’s first town-sponsored handicapped-accessible trail, which also has a new boardwalk and accessible parking lot.
Deputy Town Manager Mike Lindstrom took in the views from different points along the way as he walked the trail on Friday.
“This is the end product of a lot of community members’ perseverance,” he said. “Everyone in the community should be able to enjoy these same views and now they can.”
The project was funded with American Rescue Plan money and a $500,000 MassTrails Grant Program. The trail will be cleaned regularly by the Department of Public Works.
The Conservation Commission approved permitting the project in October 2024. Opponents of the trail have spoken out over the asphalt paving and its effects on wildlife habitats.
Opponents tried to stop the trail construction through different efforts such as a lawsuit that was ultimately withdrawn and an appeal to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The redeveloped rail trail was scaled back from original plans to extend it to High Plain Road and add a second parking lot at the other end.
Lindstrom said building on top of the railbed had the least environmental impact. The town also took into consideration all the flora and fauna that call Haggetts Pond home and built the boardwalk accordingly.
Benches can be found along the way to the boardwalk, marked by cedar fencing, for anyone who wants to sit and take in the sights or needs to relax.
“You still feel like you’re in the woods,” Andover resident Jane Gifun said while taking in the sights on the boardwalk. Gifun is a member of the Women’s Outdoor Adventure Group at the Senior Center.
It was her first visit since the trail reopened. The trail had been closed since last May when the town prepared for paving the trail and its parking lot and the installation of a wooden boardwalk and lookout area.
An ADA-compliant railing and mesh along the boardwalk and a staircase leadingto adjacent trails and benches were some of the final elements added by the town’s construction contractor Bates and Son last month.
“It still feels like you are outdoors and in nature,” Gifun said standing on the boardwalk and looking out to the trail.
Before the new parking lot, trail users would park along Haggetts Pond Road. Lindstrom said this created a dangerous situation on a busy road. The new parking lot has 14 spaces with a flashing beacon at the crosswalk for people to safely get to the rail trail.
Lindstrom explained how the town developed a tree management plan to preserve the trees along the trail. Shade will be kept on the trail because of the canopy the trees create. Trees were removed to create the accessible parking lot.
There are still a few “punch list” items to be finished, like a kiosk at the trailhead and a bike rack. The kiosk will give the history of the trail bed and information about the treatment of the water system at Haggetts Pond.
Lindstrom said interpretive signage will be added along the trail in the coming weeks, paying tribute to the area’s history. Signs will include pictures of the train that used to travel the rails, and highlight the ice making that once took place in Andover.