New 2.5-Mile Linear Trail Officially Opens In Meriden

MERIDEN, CT — (Contributed): U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined state and city officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning for the new, nearly 2.5-mile Research Parkway Linear Trail, which winds from East Main St. south along Research Parkway to the Wallingford town line.

The construction of this trail was made possible by a $2.8 million Federal Highway Administration Transportation Alternatives (TA) program grant, and the City of Meriden contributed approximately $437,000.

BL Companies, which is located on Research Parkway on the new stretch of the Linear Trail, was the designer of the project.

The path includes a 10-foot-wide paved trail parallel to a standard 5-foot-wide sidewalk, a configuration engineered to safely isolate higher-speed cyclists from pedestrians. The trail also integrated low-impact drainage features, including a rain garden near Bishop's Pond, to support environmental protection.

At its most southern point near the Wallingford town line, the trail features a decorative marble column marker next to the trail's first parking lot, which has dedicated parking spaces specifically for food trucks.