Final Surface Rolled on Rail-Trail Starting This Week

The town says crews will be out Monday to start rolling the final surface of compacted stone dust along the Danvers Rail-Trail.

"Portions of the trail will be closed for safety reasons during the construction process," said Senior Planner Kate Day in an email to local media. "The Danvers Rail Trail Advisory Committee appreciates that this may pose a temporary inconvenience to trail users, but safety is paramount during this last phase."

Day said that large tri-axle trucks will have to back down the trail to deliver stone dust, and more heavy equipment will be used to spread and compact the material.

She said work will begin near the entrance to the SwampWalk and move in a southerly direction toward the Peabody line. It should take about two weeks to finish up the trail.

Any questions or concerns can be made to the committee directly via www.danversrailtrail.org or to Day at 978-777-0001 ext. 3029.

Danvers and Wenham received a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation in June that pays for installation of the new top layer.

Once it's all firmly packed down, there will be a continuous surface for 7.6 miles from Topsfield Center down to Brooksby Village in Peabody, where the Danvers trail ends.

The work will be done by Iron Horse Preservation Society.