Picture by Larry Grey
This particular work crew on Sunday morning January 9th built a bridge on ITS 80. Six miles of ITS 80 had to be re routed this year. Another bridge still needs to be built. Seventeen landowners had to be contacted and had to agree for this to happen. The end of the old route was plowed for four miles so this will keep us off that plowed road and the dangers it posed. The rest of the work crew was signing the new route.
For those of you who are interested in why the Interstate SnoGoers rerouted ITS 80 in the Stow area, here is a brief explanation. About three years ago, MSA wanted us to move the trail off the Barbour Rd because of rider safety and the damaging effects that a long stretch of plowed road has on sleds and grooming equipment. After exploring many options for a new trail, we finally found enough generous landowners to allow this project to take place. We started the physical part of the reroute in the fall of 2010 and completed it in mid January, 2011. Here is a brief breakdown of what went into the project: 776 total hours, including manual labor and heavy equipment, bridge materials etc. The total cost of this project is approximately $18,000. This dollar total does not include manual labor, as it is all volunteer. So have you wondered why clubs try so hard to raise money? This gives you a small glimpse into where some of the money is spent. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who made this possible. And for all you fellow snowmobilers, riding only happens as the result of landowners and volunteers, so please help make a difference in the sport we all love.
Projects we hope to have done for next season:
- Reroute trail around the Nature Conservancy near Mt Tom.
- Reopen the Buzzell bog trail.
- Reopen the connector trail from Corn Shop Rd to NH 19.