Governor Lamont Announces State Grants for 50 Projects To Plan, Build, Expand, Restore, and Improve Recreational Trails Across Connecticut

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Official release

Source material from Connecticut Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

Press Release Homepage

Governor Lamont Announces State Grants for 50 Projects To Plan, Build, Expand, Restore, and Improve Recreational Trails Across Connecticut

10/01/2026

$10.5 Million Awarded Through Connecticut’s Recreational Trails Grant Program

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced the award of approximately $10.5 million in grants supporting 50 projects that will plan, build, expand, restore, and improve multi-use trails across Connecticut. Investments will enhance outdoor recreation opportunities, strengthen connections between communities, improve public health, and support Connecticut’s growing outdoor recreation economy.

The grants are being released through the Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program following a competitive review process conducted by DEEP in partnership with the Connecticut Greenways Council. The funding for the program was previously allocated by the State Bond Commission.

This year’s awards support a wide variety of projects, including new trail construction, trail rehabilitation, bridge replacements, accessibility improvements, trailhead and parking enhancements, planning and design efforts, and long-term maintenance of Connecticut’s statewide trail network. All projects enhance or expand public access to trails.

“Connecticut’s extensive trail network is one of our state’s greatest outdoor assets,” Governor Lamont said. “These investments will improve access to the outdoors, strengthen local economies, attract visitors, encourage healthy lifestyles, and help connect people to the communities where they live and work. I’m proud that we’re continuing to invest in projects that will benefit residents and visitors for generations to come.”

“Trails connect people with nature, strengthen communities, and provide opportunities for recreation, active transportation, and healthy living,” DEEP Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino said. “Whether someone is hiking, bicycling, paddling, horseback riding, or simply enjoying time outdoors, these projects will improve access to safe, high-quality recreational experiences across Connecticut. We are grateful to Governor Lamont and the State Bond Commission for their continued commitment to investing in our statewide trail system and expanding opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”

Since its creation, the Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program has helped communities, land trusts, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies expand and improve Connecticut's trail system. These investments strengthen recreational opportunities, promote environmental stewardship, encourage active transportation, and improve quality of life for residents and visitors throughout the state. Together with Connecticut’s state parks, forests, greenways, and recreational trails, these investments continue building a connected statewide network which supports recreation, conservation, tourism, and alternative transportation while improving residents’ quality of life.

Twenty-five of the fifty awarded projects occur within, or serve, Connecticut’s distressed municipalities and environmental justice communities, which will improve equitable access to outdoor recreation.

Connecticut’s trail network continues to experience record use. According to the Connecticut Trail Census, managed by the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), more than 2.7 million trail users were recorded at 27 monitored locations statewide during 2025. Connecticut’s outdoor recreation economy also continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, outdoor recreation contributes approximately $6 billion annually to Connecticut’s economy, supports more than 50,000 jobs, and generates approximately $2.8 billion in wages and salaries.

The following table contains the list of projects receiving grants under this round of DEEP’s Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program:

Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant Program

2026 Grant Awards

Applicant

Project Title

Project Type

Funding

Aspetuck Land Trust

Regional Trail Map & Public Access Initiative

Planning/Design, Publications, Outreach

$52,550.00

Avalonia Land Conservancy

Cedar Wood Preserve Accessible Trail

Construction, Publications

$355,750.00

Avon, Town of

Old Farms Road Connectivity Improvements Project – Phase II: Multi-Use Trail Connector – Tillotson Road to Fisher Meadows

Construction

$505,000.00

Bridgeport, City of

The Old Mill Green Pathways Project

Planning/Design

$180,000.00

Capitol Region Council of Governments

Lamentation Mountain Area Master Plan

Planning/Design

$150,000.00

Chaplin, Town of

Helen Garrison Open Space Project

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Amenities, Outreach

$85,993.00

Chicks Ahoy Farm

Planning Public Trails at Nonprofit’s Property on Hoskins Road, Bloomfield

Planning/Design

$40,000.00

Connecticut College

Community Engaged Accessibility Planning at Connecticut College Arboretum

Planning/Design, Outreach

$100,000.00

Connecticut Forest and Park Association

Blue-blazed Trail System, CT Woodland Conservation Corps. and CT Trails Day

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Equipment, Outreach

$498,400.00

CT Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc.

Air Line State Park Trail Signage and Wayfinding Project

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Amenities, Outreach

$90,000.00

East Coast Greenway Alliance, Inc.

Transforming Connecticut's East Coast Greenway Experience

Education, Publications, Outreach

$108,000.00

East Haddam Land Trust

Golet Farm - Senior/Disabled Trail to Wetlands Viewing Platform

Construction

$63,550.00

East Hartford, City of

Silver Lane Segment, East Coast Greenway Gap Closure Design

Planning/Design

$200,000.00

East Lyme, Town of

Darrow Pond Trail Improvements

Construction, Maintenance, Education

$405,000.00

East Windsor, Town of

Broad Brook Multi-use Trail Corridor Planning

Planning/Design, Outreach

$48,000.00

Farmington Valley Trails Council

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Mile Marker and Street Wayfinding Project

Planning/Design, Construction, Amenities, Outreach

$38,312.00

Friends of Norwalk River Valley Trail, Inc.

NRVT Kiosk & Western CT Trail Project Awareness Project

Planning/Design, Amenities, Outreach

$63,660.00

Glastonbury, Town of

Arbor Acres ADA Trail Project

Construction, Amenities

$294,880.00

Greenwich, Town of

Pomerance & Tuchman Parks - ADA Accessible Trail - Construction and Enhancement

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Amenities

$122,250.00

Groton, Town of

Copp Family Park Trail Accessibility Improvements

Planning/Design, Amenities, Outreach

$156,240.00

Hebron, Town of

Bernstein Trail - Old Colchester Rd. to Air Line State Park Trail

Planning/Design, Construction

$193,120.00

Mansfield, Town of

Community Connection - Planning for Multi-Use Path

Planning/Design

$220,465.00

Marlborough, Town of

Blackledge River Greenway Trail Phase 3

Construction

$196,950.00

Monroe, Town of

Monroe Recreational Trail Project – Housatonic Rail Trail

Maintenance, Equipment, Outreach

$288,000.00

Montville, Town of

The Oxoboxo Heritage Multi-Use Path & Thames River Blueway

Planning/Design

$80,000.00

Naugatuck, Borough of

Naugatuck River Greenway Trail Naugatuck-Waterbury Connector Design Project

Planning/Design

$400,000.00

New Britian, City of

Stanley Loop Trail - Phase 4

Planning/Design

$366,240.00

New England Mountain Bike Association

Development of a Connecticut Adaptive Assessment Committee and establish protocol for evaluating and developing adaptive trails

Planning, Education, Publications, Equipment

$125,000.00

New Haven, City of

East Rock Park College Woods Inclusive Community Trail

Planning/Design

$274,730.00

Newtown, Town of

Housatonic Rail Trail Extension

Construction

$170,000.00

Norfolk, Town of

Proposed North Brook Trail Completion

Construction

$226,155.00

Pomfret, Town of

Pomfret Trail Access & Connectivity Enhancement Project

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Amenities

$99,000.00

Prospect, Town of

McGrath Park Walking Trail Project

Planning/Design

$34,500.00

Salisbury, Town of

Salisbury Trail Connector

Planning/Design

$180,582.00

Simsbury, Town of

Farmington River Trail Maintenance

Maintenance

$248,000.00

Scotland, Town of

Scotland Elementary School, Library and Huntington Trust Connected Trails System

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Outreach

$139,000.00

South Windsor, Town of

South Windsor Crosstown Trail - Phase 3

Planning/Design

$200,000.00

Steep Rock Association

Phase 2: Construction of ADA-Accessible Bridge and Trail in Hidden Valley Preserve

Planning/Design, Construction, Equipment, Amenities

$495,000.00

Thomaston, Town of

Thomaston Naugatuck River Greenway Section 2

Planning/Design, Construction

$200,000.00

Torrington, Town of

Red Mountain Trail Bridge Phase - Design

Planning/Design

$81,750.00

Trust for Public Land

Mono Pond State Park Phase I Trail Construction Project

Planning/Design, Construction, Maintenance, Publications, Outreach

$415,000.00

University of Connecticut

UConn Trails Program: Integrating Trails and Active Living

Education, Publications, Outreach

$492,874.00

UR Community Cares, Inc.

Manchester Mobility Project

Equipment, Amenities

$21,068.00

Vernon, Town of / Hop River Trail Alliance

Hop River State Park Trail - Road Crossing Safety and Parking Assessment

Planning/Design, Outreach

$61,700.00

Western CT Council of Governments

East-West Trail Study

Planning/Design, Outreach

$500,000.00

Wethersfield, Town of

Heritage Way Trail Improvement Project at Cove Park

Planning/Design

$50,000.00

Winchester, Town of

Completion of the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway

Construction

$749,000.00

Windsor, Town of

Windsor River Trail Phase II Planning

Planning/Design

$188,320.00

Wolcott, Town of

Town of Wolcott-Scovill Trail Extension Design

Planning/Design

$112,000.00

Connecticut DEEP State Parks

Hurd State Park ADA Accessible Trail Improvements

Construction

$123,555.00

Release text attributed to Connecticut Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.