Work is finally about to start on a four-season recreation trail  proposed  to span northern Vermont. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail has been on the drawing board  for over a decade, and on Friday there was a ground-breaking ceremony in St. Johnsbury.

From 1877 to 1994,  trains rumbled  through this  corridor between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. Now the railbed is  covered with weeds. But in a few years, organizers, including the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, or VAST,  hope it will be a gravel thoroughfare for  all kinds of  travelers- on foot, bikes, snowmobiles, skis, horses—even dogsleds.

At the groundbreaking, Senator Bernie Sanders recalled  the many financial and regulatory obstacles that have slowed progress.   But he sees a bright future for the scenic multi-use trail.

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