BOLTON, CT — Governor Ned Lamont said that the State Bond Commission has approved an allocation of $30 million that will be used for infrastructure repairs and refurbishment needed across the Connecticut State Parks system, including Bolton Notch and the Hop River Trail.
Lamont chairs the commission.
The funding supports the Restore CT State Parks initiative, which Lamont said is "an historic effort by the administration and the state legislature to address the backlog of needed repairs across Connecticut’s 110 state parks and 32 state forests."
Since 2022, the state has committed more than $70 million of American Rescue Plan Act and state bond funds to support "investment in outdoor recreation across Connecticut," the governor said.
"Our state parks and forests are a big part of our incredible quality of life in Connecticut," Lamont said. "These destinations are also well-loved, welcoming an estimated 17 million visitors annually. That’s more than four times the population of Connecticut.
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"We're restoring our parks to ensure that residents and visitors now and into the future can have a wonderful outdoor recreation experience in Connecticut."
The installation of lighting in the Hop River Trail Tunnel has an estimated cost of $200,000.
By the 1960’s, Connecticut’s vast rail-based transportation era had come to an end, and as railroads became abandoned, conservation efforts through the years have yielded the many rail-trail systems we have today, including the Hop River State Park Trail, state officials said. The 20-plus miles of this trail is a popular destination for walkers, bikers, and other recreational users.
The project will involve installing lighting in the Hop River Trail Tunnel, a 300-foot-long, curved tunnel with drainage ditches on both sides of the trail. It is currently unlit and dark due to its length and curvature and the work will address safety concerns by coordinating lighting with daylight and park hours.
A parking lot expansion and paving project has an estimated cost of $75,000. The existing gravel parking lot will be expanded from a 30-car capacity to a 100-car capacity. The parking lot is currently undersized and exceeds capacity on an almost daily basis, officials said.
The project will include paving, painting new lines, and installing new fencing for those who use both the notch and the nearby Hop River Trail.
The Connecticut State Parks system is administered and maintained by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
"Thanks to the governor's and the legislature's historic commitment, we've already made significant progress addressing our backlog of repairs and refurbishment, completing dozens of projects with many more projects in process," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said.