Saugus rail trail bike path project finally gets under way

SAUGUS – More than a mile of abandoned Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority railroad lines in Saugus are history as work on Bike to the Sea?s Northern Strand rail trail is finally under way.Clay Larsen, project manager for Bike to the Sea, said about half of the railway that ran through Saugus has been ripped up, including the railroad ties, to make room for a 2?-mile bike path.The path starts at the Revere Line near Salem Street and goes past the Anna Parker Playground, past the Belmonte Middle School, through Central Street to Chute Brook and out to Boston Street.?Work has been really smooth and fast,” said Larsen during a walk-through with selectmen on Thursday morning. “They?ve been working about a month. We?re going to do a gravel trail with recycled asphalt, which is what you get for next to nothing.”The “next to nothing” aspect of the project is what selectmen Vice-chairmen Steve Castinetti said he likes about it.?It fits right in with our budget,” said Castinetti. “I think it?s awesome. It?s a huge step up for the town and I think it will bring a lot of interest to the town. This is a win-win for the business community as well if we could get people from outside of Saugus to just ride through town and see what there is to offer.”Joe Hattrup is the Chief Operating Officer for the non-profit group Iron Horse, which has been tearing up the rail for the last month. Hattrup said they do all their work at minimal cost to the town and are funded by selling the steel rails for scrap.According to Hattrup, the rails weigh about 145 tons per mile.?We contract with a town that gets a lease with MBTA and we convert that corridor into a trail for the donation of the rail materials,” said Hattrup. “We do all the work and it doesn?t cost anything.”A crew of eight worked Thursday morning to load hundreds of old railroad ties onto a flatbed truck using forklifts and backhoes between Adams Avenue and School Street. Hattrup said the ties are all sent to Pennsylvania to be recycled.?Nothing goes to landfill,” said Hattrup. “It?s a total green project.”Hattrup?s company is based in Reno, Nev., and on Thursday he marveled at the thick canopy of trees that enclose much of the trail.?In the West we don?t have this,” said Hattrup. “This is really special because that?s why people love the trails. If you were in the West it?s not nearly as popular because you don?t get this kind of growth.”According to Larsen, safety signs will be installed at trail intersections along with boulders at trail entrances to keep out motorized vehicles.?We?re going to work with the town so a couple of places will have gates and some will have boulders,” said Larsen. “We?re going to make the ATV guys feel unwelcome.”Larsen said he?s hoping the project will be finished by mid-October and is urging residents to keep off the trail for the time being.?Right now you need to think of it as a construction site,” said Larsen. “We asking people to stay off of it ? There?s a lot of people walking their dogs. We don?t want to encourage people to come down here until October.”The Saugus trail is a part of a roughly 10-mile trail that has been in the works for nearly 20 years. If all goes according to plan, Larsen said, the path would start in Everett, run through Malden, Revere and Saugus and finish in Lynn.Work is already underway in Malden and “in the pipeline” in Revere, however, Larsen said Lynn has been a holdout on the project.?They?re not really working on it yet,” said Larsen. “We?re hoping once we get up to the Lynn line they?ll start getting some pressure. They have been working with us ? but it?s moving forward very slowly.”Selectmen Chairman Michael Serino said he?s excited to see the project finally underway.?I?ve been out here everyday working with Clay and Iron Horse,” said Serino. “People have been walking the streets and they stop to ask us when it will be done and they?re all excited for it to be done.”Serino said opposition has been minimal after 115 not