It was great to attend the ribbon cutting and celebration for the opening of the section of the Merrimack River Greenway that heads south from Loudon Road. It is a beautiful stretch and was constructed very well. Regrettably, it doesn’t connect to anything else. The real jewel in the network is the abandoned rail line that connects Concord to Boscawen. It has now been three full years since the city of Concord signed a purchase and sale agreement to purchase this corridor fully intending to construct a trail of more than five miles.

Three years ago NHDOT exercised its right of first refusal to buy the corridor thus blocking Concord from buying and building this stretch. Now, three full years later, the sale is still pending. Construction and enjoyment have been delayed indefinitely and there is still no indication as to when this will happen. We have a willing seller, a willing buyer, and an agreed price. Why can’t NHDOT get this done? Shouldn’t Concord be allowed to buy and build this corridor since NHDOT, for reasons that we don’t understand, can’t or won’t?

Robert Spiegelman

Concord