A $2 million state grant for the engineering and construction of a Middletown connection to the Air Line State Park Trail in Portland has the potential to unlock another $8 million in federal dollars for the overall project. The State Bond Commission will be issuing the funds to the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments, of which Middletown, Portland and other Middlesex County municipalities are members. The Air Line, a former railway that takes its name from the imaginary line drawn from New York to Boston, according to the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, is a stone dust trail used by walkers and cyclists. The $10 million will allow the overall project to be realized, he said. “It’s much bigger than the trail, because once you complete this, what becomes possible is a 111-mile loop in the center of Connecticut.” It will create a “very significant recreational and transportational facility … that will connect neighborhoods to retail and workplaces, make walking and biking a viable option for people, and create more safe spaces to recreation with their families,” Gold said.
https://www.theday.com/state/20231011/2m-air-line-trail-grant-to-help-connect-middletown-portland-to-111-mile-loop/