I-91 Underpass Dedication 2003

It was a clear, sunny day on Saturday, September 13, 2003; when nearly 25 people met at the trailhead of the Wells River Cross VT Trail to celebrate the completion of the I-91 Underpass. As the photos indicate, the project exceeded all of our expectations.

The dedication ceremony was hosted by Mike Thomas, and included speakers Secretary of Transportation Pat MacDonald, Jennifer Waite of the National Park Service, Rose Paul (CVT Chair). Afterwards scissors were handed out and together we cut the ribbon to dedicate our new underpass trail segment, officially reuniting the two sections of trail that were divided 40 years ago by construction of the bridge.

The Underpass will make it possible for BMU students to bike to school without riding on the busy I-91 and Route 302 interchange. The Blue Mountain Union Grange grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and a number of people also brought lunch offerings. After lunch, we took a tour of the connecting trails in the Wells River trail network, the Boltonville Nature Trail and the Blue Mountain Nature Trail. The underpass provides beautiful views of newly-protected fields, woods and wetlands that abut the trail, and it brings the project closer to a continuous off-road route into Wells River Village. It took ten years of planning, volunteer work and creative design and engineering to make the underpass a reality.

This project would not have been possible without grants from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Recreation Equipment International (REI), Bikes Belong Coalition, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and the dedicated work of many volunteers.

Underpass - before construction	Underpass during construction	Participants approach dedication
Scenic view of Al-lens Farm as seen from underpass	The ceremony...	bicyclists using the underpass