Coral Ortiz
Construction site.
A crew is pulling up asphalt from a dead end as part of the next phase of constructing the Mill River Trail.
Nicole Davis on site.
The crew, from Schaumack Construction, has been doing the work at the closed-to-traffic roadway at the corner of Haven and Exchange Streets in Fair Haven.
The crew is working under the direction of Save the Sound, which has been overseeing the gradual development of the Mill River Trail, along with Biohabitats, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring ecosystems, conserving habitat, and regenerating natural systems
The Mill River Trail project began taking shape in 2018, with volunteer groups helping to do much of the clearing work and creating the trail in phases. Click here to read about completion of the first phase in 2019, and here to read about the completion of the second phase in 2020.
Clearing up this newest portion of the trail should take anywhere from three to four weeks, with the completion envisioned in early spring, said Save the Sound Watershed Coordinator Nicole Davis.
Nicole Davis and Shauntasia Hicks of Save the Sound at future new portion of Trail.
The plan for the new portion includes the installation of rain gardens through natural vegetation. The trail section will include a habitat for animals and a catch basin, which will prevent stormwater from entering the sewer system. The goal is to keep pollution out of New Haven rivers.
Grant funding for this portion of the trail comes from REI, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Partners for Places, the Regional Water Agency, and the Dorr Foundation.
Once this part is finished, Save the Sound and other partners will be working with the city to design a future portion of the trail to Exchange and Saltonstall streets. The ultimate goal is for the Mill River Trail to connect from Criscuolo Park to East Rock Park.
Save the Sound
Design for the new portion.
The new portion runs by John Martinez Magnet School. Teachers there and at Cold Spring School have designed a curriculum using the new portion of the trail as “a learning space” to teach students about the ecosystem.
“We also have the Mill River Stewards, a program that has students maintain the space” once the project is completed, said Shauntasia Hicks of Save The Sound.