It’s a good thing WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH maintains a Facebook page, or I would have missed Jamie Staton’s story “The Granite State Rail Trail: Southern Route.” It gave me an update on the status of the rail line between Manchester and Salem that has been chopped up through the years. I haven’t been on any part of it except the Windham stretch, which is in great shape.

I remember years ago when the then-manager of Manchester Airport (please, not “Manchester-Boston,” a ridiculous name that only a marketing consultant could have come up with) pretty much tore up the old rail line through airport property, to the dismay of people who had dreamed of restoring the line for recreational use. A runway has since been built across the old right-of-way. Staton reports that a trail may yet be restored anyway, working around the runway.

Many meetings have been held to get the trail through and around the airport. Involved in this project are the Airport Authority, Town of Londonderry, City of Manchester Public Works, Manchester Parks and Rec, and Manchester Moves. WMUR was told the city will apply for a grant to pay for the project in 2018, with hopes that construction will take place in 2020. Deputy Airport Director Tom Malafronte tells WMUR that an MOU (memorandum of understanding) is being drawn up with the city, and that the airport is very supportive of the project.

Check out the full post with its photos of the trail in various towns along the way. I’m pleased to read that some segments are much closer to being developed than I had realized.

Note: I’ve been to the Windham trail for a 5k race (a walk, in my case) along the smooth paved route. There’s another race next June, and I recommend it as a way to discover the trail as well as support the Windham Rail Trail Alliance which is responsible for so much of the trail’s development.