Columbia Greenway
Rail Trail
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Welcome to the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail web pages. We are proud of our efforts to blaze new trails and establish ourselves as a force for change, helping to transform Westfield. As a nonprofit (501C3) educational and charitable organization, we work in partnership with the City of Westfield, local businesses, and other nonprofit agencies to create a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community. We hope you'll join us in our efforts.
Please join us at our next meeting Tuesday May 21 at 6:30 at Shaker Farms Country Club
Attend City Council Meeting to support Phase II slated for 2013/2014 Thursday May 2, 2013
Tee It Up For The Rail Trail II Golf Tournament set for Friday, September 13 2013
Mix, Mingle and Meander at our annual TRAIL MIXER - Monday, May 20 4pm to 7pm
Columbia Greenway Rail Trail interactive map and directions
Phase 2 announced. $2 million state grant will bring trail North into downtown
About the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail is the name chosen for Westfield’s multi use trail. The Rail Trail is a multi-modal linear park, which follows along a portion of the route of the former New York/New Haven/Hartford Railroad (and one-time Northampton, MA to New Haven, CT canal). Stretching from Southwick, Mass. to the south, to the Great (Westfield) River Bridge to the north, the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail traverses downtown Westfield on a mostly elevated line for a total of 3.2 miles.
The Rail Trail incorporates bridge crossings of all streets in the downtown, with one surface street crossing at Shaker Road. The Trail will tie into the Southwick trail to the south and then become the Farmington Valley Greenway, extending to New Haven, Conn. At a future date, the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail will extend northward from the Westfield River, eventually connecting to communities in Southampton, Easthampton (the Manhan Rail Trail) and Northampton (the Norwottuck Rail Trail).
The first section of the Greenway is complete, connecting Westfield Shaker Road to the Southwick Rail Trail and Farmington Canal Heritage Trail for 30 miles of continuous rail trail.
Phase 1 construction is just over 1 mile from the Southwick town line to 600' short of the Tin Bridge spanning the Little River.
Phase 2 is slated spring 2013 to continue North spanning the Little River (Tin Bridge) to E Silver St in downtown Westfield.
You can find us on Facebook Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail
Number of Columbia Greenway visitors
We welcome you to join us at our regularly scheduled meetings.
FOCGRT meets the third Tuesday of the month, 6:30 PM at the Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Rd., Westfield, Mass.
No meetings scheduled in July and August.
