LEOMINSTER, MA — The Healey-Driscoll Administration and municipal leaders in Leominster, Massachusetts, are celebrating the completion of a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Route 2 in Leominster, which is now a section of the Twin Cities Rail Trail. During the ceremony, the new bridge was dedicated in memory of former Massachusetts Congressman John W. Olver, an early proponent of the rail trail who secured federal funding for the bridge’s construction.
“Generations of residents are going to enjoy this new bridge and the Twin Cities Rail Trail for years to come thanks to the late Congressman Olver, who had the vision to foresee what a trail connection would do for the region to spur travel by bike and by foot and connect the communities of Leominster and Fitchburg,” Governor Maura Healey said. “Congressman Olver understood that rail trails have tremendous value in providing more travel options and getting people out of cars so we can meet our climate goals. I will always be grateful for his kindness, friendship, and advocacy, and I thank the legislature for advancing the legislation to dedicate this bridge to him.”
“Projects like the new bridge over Route 2 for bicyclists and pedestrians exemplify the success we can have when all levels of government work together and collaborate with local leaders, and our nonprofit and advocacy group partners,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said. “Congressman John Oliver was instrumental in securing the funding to create this rail trail, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to honor his legacy by dedicating this bridge to his memory.”
“We have a sense of deep gratitude to the late U.S. Representative John Olver for seeking federal funding to pay for a substantial portion of the trail acquisition in this area, and it is an honor to be naming the Route 2 bicyclist and pedestrian overpass in his memory,” said Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO. “With this new Route 2 overpass bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians and other recent trail projects already completed, Massachusetts is truly living up to its reputation as a state where the Healey-Driscoll Administration is prioritizing the creation of infrastructure to serve everyone, regardless as how they choose to travel.”
The Twin Cities Rail Trail (TCRT) project has brought together many advocates in this region, including the long-established TCRT Association that independently manages rail trail maintenance and preservation through the group’s own sources of non-municipal funding.
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“The Twin Cities Rail Trail Association is proud to join MassDOT in honoring many visionaries who collaborated to help make the new trail a reality, including former Congressman Olver,” said Larry Casassa, Chair of the Twin Cities Rail Trail Association. “We are truly celebrating many contributions from officials and local community members including Romolo Testarmata. Congratulations to everyone.”
On April 2, 2024, Healey signed legislation to designate Bridge No. L08023, over state highway Route 2, as the Honorable John Walter Olver Memorial Bridge in recognition of the former Congressman who was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1968, elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 1972, and who represented the First Congressional District of Massachusetts from 1991 to 2013. Sponsors of the legislation were State Senator John Cronin and State Representative Natalie Higgins.
"Congressman Olver's impact on our region was remarkable and is not forgotten," Senator John J. Cronin said. "This Rail Trail is here due to his leadership and will remain a testament to his decades of service.”
“So many of our community members have been working to make the Twin Cities Rail Trail a reality for over two decades," State Representative Natalie Higgins said. “While I didn’t have the opportunity to work with Congressman Olver, I know this project will help his legacy live on, interlinking the Twin Cities of Leominster and Fitchburg, making our communities even stronger.”
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“John Olver dedicated his life in public service to strengthening and connecting the communities he served in central and western Massachusetts," said David Narkewicz, former Congressman Olver staff member and former Mayor of Northampton. "A major focus of the late Congressman’s work in Washington was bringing back significant federal investments in highway, rail, transit, and bicycle infrastructure. The Leominster rail trail bridge dedication is a fitting tribute to one of our Commonwealth’s greatest transportation champions.”
With completion of this new Route 2 overpass for bicyclists and pedestrians in Leominster for the Twin Cities Rail Trail, Phase One of the originally proposed trail is complete. Phase One was 80 percent federally funded and 20 percent funded by the Commonwealth, and the total project cost was $8.5 million. In addition to the new bridges, the project also constructed the trail route, which now connects the central business districts of Leominster and Fitchburg, from Carter Park in Leominster and First Street in Fitchburg.
Phase Two of the Twin Cities Rail Trail is getting underway soon with this $25 million project going out to bid soon. Phase Two involves construction of additional rail trail along the abandoned rail corridor, to provide connections between the just-completed phase of the project, to the intermodal facility in downtown Fitchburg to the north, then on to downtown Leominster to the south. Phase Two infrastructure work will include construction of a 12-foot side paved multi-use path with 2-foot shoulders, grade crossing improvements, the signalization of crossings, rehabilitation to an existing structure, and construction of two new structures.
