The 5-mile trail is part of the larger Mountain Division Rail Trail, stretching from Portland to the New Hampshire border.
Posted July 17
Windham is weighing whether to pitch in about $800,000 toward a more than $16 million trail project that would ultimately stretch to Westbrook and, eventually, all the way to the New Hampshire border.
The Mountain Division Trail will eventually run from Portland to the New Hampshire state line along the former Mountain Division Railroad. It currently has roughly 10 miles of trails in two non-contiguous sections, one in Fryeburg, and another stretching through Windham, Gorham and Standish.
The proposed extension would add about 5 miles of trail, stretching from the current terminus of the trail near the intersection of Route 202 and Gray Road in Windham to Bridge Street in Westbrook, to the Mountain Division Trail. Including the existing rail trail between Windham and Standish, the contiguous section of the Mountain Division Trail south of Sebago Lake will stretch for 10 miles.
The discussion at the Windham Town Council meeting on July 14 revolved around whether to support the project for inclusion in the 2027-29 Maine Department of Transportation work plan, and whether to commit the town to providing $810,000 toward the project. The latter represents half of the required 10% local contribution to the project’s expected $16.2 million cost, with the other half to be paid by Westbrook. The federal government will pay for 80% of the project, with the remaining 10% coming from the state.
Assistant Town Manager Amanda Lessard told the council that, in 2022, Windham and Westbrook received a Maine DOT grant from to fund a preliminary design plan for the expansion of the Mountain Division Trail. The engineering design plan was completed in July 2024, with a preliminary cost estimate of $12.7 million. Following the initial cost estimate, it was discovered an additional $3.5 million would be needed to replace the culverts at Inkhorn Brook and Colley Wright Brook Crossings.
The rail trail extension was previously included in the PACT Connect 2045 Plan, and is expected to be completed sometime between 2031 and 2035.
When asked if Westbrook had approved its share of the project cost, Lessard said the city council process requires two readings, with the first occurring on July 6, and a vote due later this month. She also said Westbrook had fully supported the design work, with no concerns from council members on first reading.
Town Manager Robert Burns said Windham’s share would be included in a future budget, and clarified that the Town Council’s approval does not immediately commit the town to spending the funds, but signifies its interest in taking part in the project. Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to submit the project to Maine DOT.
According to Doug Smith, president of Friends of the Mountain Division Trail, plans to convert the 61-mile Maine portion of the Mountain Division Railroad into a trail have existed since around 1994, with the formation of the Mountain Division Alliance, with the first section, stretching from Windham to Standish, opening in 2003, and being fully paved by 2009. The Fryeburg section was completed in 2012.
Aside from the existing sections and the proposed Windham-Westbrook Trail, Smith said a Rail Use Advisory Committee was established in 2021 to discuss options for the 31 miles of railway between Fryeburg and Standish. In 2023, LD 404 was signed into law, authorizing Maine DOT to construct a multi-use trail between the two towns.
Each section of the trail is like another chapter in a novel,” said Smith, “and (the Windham-Westbrook section) is no different.”