Reconnecting Old Lyme To The Connecticut River

Old Lyme resident Joe Camean vividly remembers the first time he saw the view from Shore Road. It was July 5, 1976. And ever since that day, he's gradually seen more and more of the stunning vistas of the Connecticut River disappear from view as Amtrak put up more fences.

"Unless you're kayaking, you can't get anywhere near it," said Camean. 

About three years ago, Camean hatched a plan to do something about that. With the blessing of the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen and with help from a grant to hire a consultant to work with him, Camean has been working on a grand scheme to create a "green way/blue way" to bring the people back to the river. 

On May 6, he presented a draft of his proposal for a "Connecticut Riverway Trail" to the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen. It's a four mile stretch of trails that would run from the Baldwin Bridge in Old Saybrook all the way to Sound View Beach in Old Lyme, with a bike path proposed to Halls Road. 

Camean would like to see the trails designed for use by pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, and be accessible to people in wheelchairs. He suggested that the town could rent kayaks and bicycles, for people to rent and use to get from one end of the trail to the other, or bike one way and kayak back by water.  

"I was inspired," he said.

None of this would come cheap, however. Camean estimated the total cost would amount to $8.22 million, although he proposed that it be done in four stages.

The first phase would run from the Baldwin Bridge along Shore Road and Ferry Road to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection property in Old Lyme. The trail would then continue through Watch Rock Nature Preserve, through Old Lyme Estates to the town Landing Point, to Smith Neck and DEEP's Great Island Boat Launch.

It would eventually connect to Sound View, where a new system of bike paths is already included as part of the improvement plan for the town-owned beach area. 

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said she thought the price tag "may make some people gulp a little bit." But breaking it down into four phases, as Camean proposed, would allow the town to tackle it one step at a time. She also noted that grants, such as the one from the Department of Transportation that the town tapped to fund the Sound View improvements, would probably be applicable to this project too. 

Indeed, Camean pointed out that as the Connecticut River is nationally recognized and protected, there may be federal grants. The longest section of the trail he proposes would run alongside Amtrak's railroad and, because its creation would offer additional protection to the tracks from future storms, it's possible Amtrak might be persuaded to fund a chunk of it too. 

All of this is still in the very early planning process. Camean is now going to turn his draft proposal into something more final to present in full to the Board of Selectmen at a later date. But his idea did seem to find a receptive audience with the Board of Selectmen. 

"I love the idea," said Reemsnyder. "I think it's certainly worth pursuing."