WILLOW CREEK — The Mattawamkeag River Trail will soon have a direct pedestrian link to downtown, following approval of a $1.2 million federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant, town officials announced Thursday.
The Trail-to-Town Connector project will build a 10-foot-wide paved sidewalk along a 0.8-mile corridor from the trail’s main trailhead at River Road to Elm Street, with pedestrian-scale lighting and crosswalks at two intersections.
“The trail is our biggest tourism asset. The problem has always been getting people from the trail into town and back,” said Eleanor Vance, who authored the grant application. “Right now, visitors park at the trailhead, hike, and drive away. We’re losing the economic spillover.”
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025. The town’s share of the project is $120,000, to be drawn from the municipal highway fund.
Dean Moreau, owner of The Dry Dock restaurant at Thorne’s Bend, said the connector will benefit businesses along the downtown corridor. “We get trail traffic on weekends, but not nearly what we could,” Moreau said. “A safe walking route changes everything.”
The project also includes benches, bike racks, and interpretive signage about Willow Creek’s mill history at the trailhead plaza.