A June 2, 2025 field trip hosted by FORTT was well attended. That afternoon, more participants joined by bicycle than by car. Here, at the northernmost point of phase 2 of the Yankee Doodle Bike Path, exploring connectivity to the Merrimack River Vandenberg Esplanade via the Billerica Branch, Middlesex Canal Towpath and the Henry David Thoreau Towpath, a group photo with (from left to right): Amanuel Regassa, NMCOG, Transportation Planner II; Aubrey Brown, attending privately on her day off from her Lowell National Historic Park Ranger position; Pete Sutton, MassDOT, Bikeped Program Coordinator; Blake Acton, NMCOG, Regional Transit Planner II; Jeffrey Ferris, retired “J.P. Ferris Wheels” bike shop owner & mechanic; Doug Chandler, member of FORTT and Middlesex Canal groups, and retired MITRE Communications Engineer; J. Jeremiah Breen, FORTT member and president of the Middlesex Canal Association since 2011, and retired Civil Engineer; Andrew Jennings, Billerica LRTA Liaison, FORTT founder, retired Transportation Consultant; Bill Kuttner, FORTT member, retired Central Transportation Planning Staff. Lastly, taking the photo, Marlies Henderson, outdoors advocate, wearing her FORTT hat.
Friends of Regional Trails & Towpaths (FORTT) is an informal group of advocates who meet regularly to promote the development of trails and paths in the communities in northern Middlesex County once served by the Middlesex Canal. Our current focus is on the three municipalities highlighted on the map below, Billerica, Chelmsford and Lowell
base map source: http://middlesexcanal.org/commission/MCmapbook.pdf
Friends of Regional Trails & Towpaths (FORTT) promotes the development of paths, trails, and other bicycle and pedestrian improvements transportation routes. FORTT will work with MPOs, municipalities, land trusts, right-of-way owners (e.g., railroads, utilities, MassDOT), non-profits, and existing friends of trails groups to unlock the significant additional benefits that will be achieved when individual trails are networked across municipal and regional boundaries. FORTT will propose trail projects, assist in design and promotion of projects, and educate all sectors on the benefits of networks of trails and paths. It will maintain and enhance the historical context of rights-of-way on which the trails and paths that are developed.
Mission Statement Conceptual Plan March 2025 Update
What FORTT is not:
It is not an organized charity. It does not raise funds or solicit contributions. It does not intend to supplant any existing organizations but compliment them by helping them identify opportunities in the communities once served by the Middlesex Canal and assisting them in the development of projects.