Where does the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail start? Today it ends at US-7 on North Main Street, near the line between St. Albans City and St. Albans Town. That will change soon. The state has signed a contract to carry the trail south to the former Fonda site on Lower Newton Street. The city plans to put a trail parking area at the corner of Lower Newton and Federal Street.
Most coverage treats this as a trail project. In St. Albans it's also the last step in a property cleanup the city began in 2007. When it's done, the trail's main entrance will sit right next to the Main Street businesses.
The contract is signed. The construction date is less clear.
Here is what the state's records show as of early October 2026. VTrans contract C03278, listed as St. Albans STP MVRT(2), opened bids on July 10, 2026. It was awarded to Wright's Excavating Inc. on August 10 and executed on August 26. Wright's bid $674,282, the lowest total submitted. The project factsheet put the estimated cost at $1,235,481. It lists a construction target of Fall 2026 through Summer 2027.
The factsheet gives the award date as August 28, which doesn't match the contract table. The contract table is the record of the award itself, so we're going with its dates.
We don't yet know when crews will show up. In a summer 2026 interview with the St. Albans Messenger, City Manager Dominic Cloud said to expect trail crews in late summer or early fall. The state's Vermont Rail Trails updates page was last revised September 24. It shows a temporary closure on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Hyde Park but nothing on the Missisquoi. Before an October ride near the North Main Street end, check that page for new notices.
Twenty years of work on Lower Newton Street
The trail's new endpoint makes more sense once you know the site's history. The Fonda Container Company made paper products there for about 60 years. Its chemicals and solvents spread PCBs across the property. Getting from there to a trailhead took these steps:
- 2007: The City of St. Albans buys the Fonda site.
- 2011: Cleanup is underway. The city demolishes one of the buildings, spending roughly $1 million.
- 2013: Vermont adds the site to its Brownfields Economic Revitalization Alliance. The state puts in about $1.75 million to remove contaminated soil.
- 2020: The city approves another $1 million in TIF funds.
- 2022: A deal with Genesee and Wyoming's American Rail locks in an office building for 60 to 70 employees.
- 2024: The city agrees to sell part of the land to Cathedral Square for senior housing.
- May 2025: City councilors approve a deal with Milot Real Estate.
- 2026: Construction starts on a 40-unit apartment building, and the state awards the trail contract.
The trail extension comes at the end of that list. It reaches a site that took nearly two decades to clean up and fill.
Housing planned with the trail in mind
The Milot building now under construction is the first of two. Together they'll hold 87 units. In July the city council changed the financing so the first building is paid for before money for the second one comes in. Cloud expects the first building, made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments, to take about a year. Work on the second starts once the first is leasing up.
The Messenger reports that residents of all three apartment buildings will have access to the extension. That includes Cathedral Square's Reid Commons, which is already finished. The trail will curve north behind the Main Street buildings and join the existing access point on Main Street.
"That will be a serious amenity for those apartments. At the end of the project, people will be able to drive down the access there and park and hop on the MVRT." — Dominic Cloud, St. Albans City Manager, to the St. Albans Messenger
Federal Street is the next connection. The city received $7.7 million in federal funding for that corridor in 2022. Its plans include an eight-foot multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians and a streetlight crossing at the St. Albans state highway exit. City planning director Chip Sawyer said in 2026 that the work could start as early as 2027 or 2028. City councilors noted they had been hearing about the project for decades. The Messenger describes the Federal Street project as central to the work of bringing the trail downtown.
Riding the trail this fall, before the extension opens
Until the extension is built, you'll get on the trail the same way you do now. The state lists three public access and parking points in St. Albans:
- St. Albans Trailhead on Seymour Road
- Green's Corners
- The Park & Ride at 48 Fairfax Road
The state notes that some of its listed park and rides are not right on the trail. It asks users to get on only at designated trailheads, because most road crossings don't have safe parking or clear sight lines.
How far it goes
The Missisquoi runs 26.4 miles from St. Albans to Richford. Sheldon Junction is about 10 miles north of St. Albans. Along the way it passes through seven towns: St. Albans, Swanton, Fairfield, Sheldon, Enosburg, Berkshire, and Richford. If you want a shorter October ride, the Sheldon Junction Trailhead on Severance Road is a turnaround point with its own parking.
The rules
The trail is open to all non-motorized uses, and e-bikes are allowed. Dogs must be on a leash. ATVs, dirt bikes, and motorized scooters are not permitted.
Downtown stops near the North Main Street end
The future trail link will run behind Main Street. For now, these downtown businesses are a short ride away:
- Bootlegger Bikes, 82 North Main Street, for bike tune-ups and local route advice. The shop also tunes skates, skis, and snowboards when the season changes.
- Catalyst Coffee Bar, 10 Lake Street.
- Mad Ice Cream, 20 Lake Street, opened in June by Karen and Madison Barchowski.
- 14th Star Brewing Co., 97 North Main Street, Suite 100.
- Ralston's Restaurant, 54 Main Street, where head chef Michael Boomhower runs a changing menu. Last reported hours were 3 to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Monday.
Dates to know between now and snowmobile season
Today is October 4, so there are four Saturdays left this month. Each one has the Northwest Farmers Market in Taylor Park, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., through October 31.
| Date | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10, 17, 24 | Northwest Farmers Market, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | Taylor Park |
| Oct. 31 | Final market of the season, plus Spooky Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Taylor Park, 36 N. Main St. |
| Oct. 31, noon–1 p.m. | Downtown trick-or-treating during Spooky Saturday | Downtown St. Albans |
| Dec. 16 | Snowmobiles allowed on the MVRT during VAST season, through April 15 | Full trail |
Spooky Saturday is free. Along with trick-or-treating it includes pumpkin decorating, performances, a costume contest, and a Spooky Fun Run. The December 16 date matters for anyone who walks or bikes the trail into winter. From then until April 15, the trail is shared with snowmobiles.
The state is aiming to finish the extension in Summer 2027. Cloud said the first Milot building would take about a year. If both stay on schedule, next summer the new trail section and the first new building on Lower Newton Street could open within months of each other.
We follow projects like the Fonda redevelopment because they change daily routines in St. Albans long before they show up anywhere else. If you have questions about what the trail extension or the Lower Newton Street housing could mean for your plans, The Hammond Team is happy to talk it through, calmly and at your pace.
