Bowdoinham wins $750,000 grant to advance Merrymeeting Trail planning

Bowdoinham secured a $750,000 federal grant to push the Merrymeeting Trail deeper into the engineering stage, a step that helps the long-discussed corridor move closer to construction but does not pay to build the trail itself. The award from the U.S. Department of Transportation requires no local match, a significant advantage for a small town that can now fund design work without adding a direct taxpayer burden.

The money will support preliminary design and final engineering for an 8.6-mile rail-to-trail segment from downtown Bowdoinham to downtown Richmond. In practical terms, that means survey work, mapping, drainage questions, alignment decisions, public outreach, and the technical studies needed before Bowdoinham can compete for construction dollars. Town documents say staff submitted the no-match application on Sept. 8, 2025, after the Bowdoinham Select Board approved moving ahead on a 5-0 vote.

The award was highly competitive. USDOT selected 49 projects nationwide from 799 applications, and Bowdoinham’s proposal was one of just 31 rural community awards. It was also the only New England project chosen in that round, giving the town an outsized role in a regional trail effort that has been discussed for more than 15 years. The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program is designed to pay for pre-development work such as feasibility studies, planning, preliminary engineering, environmental review, and economic assessments.

For Sagadahoc County and neighboring communities, the stakes go beyond recreation. Supporters say the Merrymeeting Trail could create a safer route for cyclists and walkers, add snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in winter, and strengthen tourism and small-business activity in Bowdoinham, Richmond, Topsham, and Gardiner. The Merrymeeting Trail Board of Supervisors says the broader vision is a connected corridor linking the Androscoggin River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path, Bowdoinham’s village center, Richmond’s village center, and the Kennebec River Rail Trail in Gardiner.

The trail concept dates to at least 2007, and the board was formed in 2008 by Bowdoinham, Topsham, Gardiner, and Richmond. Advocates also point to the fact that the state has owned the corridor for more than 30 years, which keeps the route in public hands even as its future use remains contested. In 2025, LD 29 sought to require the Department of Transportation to implement recommendations from the Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council and move ahead with a 26-mile multi-use trail. Public conversations in Bowdoinham, Richmond, and Gardiner in October 2024 showed broad support, while some opponents argued the corridor should remain available for future rail use.

For now, the federal award does not put shovels in the ground. It does, however, give Bowdoinham the technical backing to make the Merrymeeting Trail more shovel-ready, and that is the step that usually determines whether a plan stays on paper or begins to turn into a path on the ground.