HEB was selected by the City of Laconia and the Laconia Trails with Rails Exploratory Committee (LTREC) in 2007 to provide planning and engineering services for construction of Phase I of the W.O.W. Trail. The trail project, when complete, will be approximately 9 miles in length and run from the Belmont town line to the Meredith town line. Phase I included the segment of trail construction from Main Street to Elm Street with an approximate length of 1.4 miles. The majority of trail construction for Phase I is in the railroad corridor, but a section along Messer Street is on-road to avoid the expense of constructing a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the Winnipesaukee River. Phase I, considered by the City and LTREC to be the highest priority of the project due to its proximity to Main Street and surrounding activities, has been completed.
The project has been such a success that businesses have donated money for plantings at seven sites along the trail, and a mural depicting users enjoying the pathway has been painted on a building abutting the trail.
