Merrymeeting Trail

About the Merrymeeting Trail

You may have heard about the Merrymeeting Trail — a 26-mile multi-use trail in midcoast Maine, connecting the villages of Topsham, Bowdoinham, Richmond, and Gardiner. It will utilize the long-unused “Lower Road” railroad corridor, owned by the State of Maine, and link the Kennebec River Rail Trail in the north to the Androscoggin River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path in the south — joining Augusta to Brunswick (and one day to Bath!) in an incredible “capital to coast” connection. The Merrymeeting Trail would be an amazing asset for these communities and the surrounding region — creating a natural, multi-use connector that runs through villages, forests, fields, and along beautiful rivers. It would attract visitors, support local economic activity, and improve public health. 

History

The Merrymeeting Trail was initiated in May 2008 when municipal staff and community leaders from Topsham, Bowdoinham, Richmond, and Gardiner began meeting to scope out a regional trail vision. By January 2009, all four municipalities had formally signed a Memorandum of Agreement committing their staff, committees, and residents to work together toward the trail's development – a foundational act of inter-municipal partnership.

Further, the project has completed three major public processes over its history, each building on the last to strengthen community ownership and remove key barriers to construction:

Process 1 – Interlocal Agreement (2008–2016): Following the 2009 Memorandum of Agreement, the project undertook an extended multi-year public process, with assistance from the National Park Service, to develop a formal Interlocal Agreement establishing a permanent governance structure for the trail. This process engaged all four municipal Select Boards and Town Meetings over several years. Bowdoinham's Town Meeting authorized the Select Board to enter the Interlocal Agreement in June 2014; the Select Board voted 3-0 to approve it in June 2015. The Gardiner City Council unanimously approved the interlocal agreement on June 3, 2015 with a vote of 7-0. The same process was completed in all four municipalities, resulting in the creation of the Merrymeeting Trail Board of Supervisors – an eight-member governing body with two representatives from each town. This governance structure, with clear lines of accountability and decision-making authority, remains the foundation for the project's management today.

Process 2 – Two Legislative Campaigns (2019 and 2025): The project has twice organized and won statewide legislative advocacy campaigns. The first, for LD 1141 (2019), sought direct legislative direction to Maine DOT to construct the trail; while LD 1141 did not pass, the advocacy effort produced LD 1133, which created the Rail Corridor Use Advisory Council process – a new regulatory pathway that ultimately unlocked the Lower Road corridor for non-rail use. The Bowdoinham Select Board voted 5-0 in support of LD 1141 in April 2019, consistent with prior Town Meeting authorizations. The Gardiner City Council also voted unanimously in favor on April 24, 2019. On May 6, 2019 Richmond’s Selectboard voted 4-1 in favor. The second campaign, for LD 29 (2025) – the Resolve to Require the Department of Transportation to Implement the Recommendations of the Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council – succeeded decisively. Sponsored by Senate President Mattie Daughtry and co-sponsored by Rep. Sally Cluchey of Bowdoinham, LD 29 passed the Maine Senate and passed the Maine House of Representatives by a vote of 116–26, reflecting exceptional bipartisan support. The Bowdoinham Select Board and Gardiner City Council voted 5-0 and 7-0, respectively in support of LD 29 in February 2025.

Process 3 – Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council (2022–2023): Between these two legislative campaigns, the project participated in the formal Rail Use Advisory Council process for the Lower Road corridor. Convened by Maine DOT in November 2022 at the formal request of all four municipalities and the Board of Supervisors, the council met monthly, gathered technical information, and incorporated robust public comment before issuing its formal recommendation to the Commissioner of Transportation in 2023 to repurpose the Lower Road corridor as a trail on an interim basis. This independent, deliberative public process – involving MaineDOT staff, municipal representatives, and community members – provides the regulatory authorization allowing the trail to be built.

Support

Few trail projects in Maine can match the depth, duration, and breadth of the Merrymeeting Trail's partnership and public engagement history. Over seventeen years, the project has engaged dozens of organizations, navigated multiple formal public processes at the local and state levels, and built durable institutional structures for long-term governance. This history demonstrates not only strong existing collaboration but a well-proven capacity to manage complex, multi-jurisdictional public processes, an essential quality for a project of this scale.

National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program provided planning and organizational assistance continuously from 2009 through 2012, including direct support in developing the governance structure that ultimately became the Merrymeeting Trail Interlocal Agreement and Board of Supervisors.

Maine Department of Transportation provided a $20,000 planning grant, approved the Interim On-road Route and signage, designated the trail as a 'Trail of Statewide Significance,' and has been an active partner throughout the project's evolution.

State Planning Office awarded a $20,000 Regional Challenge Grant, matched by the four municipalities, to support early corridor planning.

Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund provided a $13,500 grant in support of trail planning.

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust received $44,000 (2013) and $67,000 (2014) from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, serving as the fiscal sponsor and organizational home for the Merrymeeting Trailblazers, the trail's citizen advocacy group. KELT has also purchased interim route signage and continues to serve as the trail's private sector institutional partner.

VHB (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin) completed a professional Feasibility Study; Wright-Pierce created detailed Segment Sheets for the corridor – establishing a technical foundation that makes this grant-funded design phase possible.

East Coast Greenway Alliance has designated the Merrymeeting Trail as a key segment of the 3,000-mile national East Coast Greenway, bringing national recognition and a built-in user base of long-distance trail users.

Supporting organizations spanning health, conservation, economic development, and recreation include: Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, Cathance River Education Alliance, Center of Ecological and Cultural Living Arts, East Coast Greenway Alliance, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, Friends of Kennebec River Rail Trail, Gardiner Main Street, Greater Topsham Trail Alliance, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Kennebec River Network, Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Downtown Center, Merrymeeting Arts Center, Merrymeeting Wheelers Bicycle Club, Mid Coast Hospital, Midcoast Economic Development District, Midcoast Public Health Council, Midcoast Council of Governments, and Topsham Trail Riders.