Jason Beaudet, PE and Jodie Bray Strickland, PE attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the official opening for the 1-mile section of the Granite State Rail Trail. CMA Engineers provided construction oversight and contract administration on the pedestrian trail (designed by VHB) along the former Manchester-Lawrence rail corridor between Gold Street and Perimeter Road. The creation of the South Manchester Rail Trail will serve as a safe accessible link to businesses, parks, ponds, brooks, and other assets to the City of Manchester, its citizens, and the surrounding communities.
It took years of planning and construction for this short section, which features the dramatic and historic Cohas Brook Trestle. The wooden trestle, the highest on the Granite State Rail Trail, was built in the 1850s and rebuilt in 1932. Hidden in the woods and forgotten since the last train passed over it in 1989, the abandoned trestle’s restoration posed both design and construction challenges. At 153 feet long and 41 feet high, the restored trestle is sure to become a favorite along the trail.
