The Miller trail will be closed until Nov.15, for repairs. Photo courtesy of Mark Stevens

Work to repair erosion near the Miller Trail walking path in Lisbon started this week.

The trail, which runs almost 4 miles along the Sabattus River, is one of Lisbon’s most popular routes.

Over the past few years, parks and recreation department officials worked to identify parts of the trail that needed improvement, including the 300 feet of fencing from the parking lot and widening the 1.5-mile walking path over a foot toward the river to make room for the new fence.

“Over the years, the raging river has slowly started to erode the sides of the trail in some spots,” said Lisbon Parks and Recreation Director Mark Stevens. “We are widening the walking path over a few feet and re-establishing a fence line that is tilting towards the river.”

Stevens said they aim to improve safety.

“We have barriers right now along the path, so it’s not a straight shot down into the river,” said Steven. “Some of the old wood posts have rotten and started to degrade over time. We are replacing most of the wood posts that are in disrepair right now.”

He added that they are putting a chain-link fence that matches the Androscoggin River trail fence next to it.

The project’s total cost is $9,500, which was set aside by the department officials during last year’s budget season.

The work was supposed to start early this year, but Stevens said the town was waiting to purchase an excavator.

“The town recently purchased it, and as soon as we received it, we started the work,” Stevens said.

“We have seen double the amount of people using the parks, gardens and trails compared to what we have seen in the past,” added Steven. “Maybe due to the pandemic, people wanted to be outside.”

The town has more than 19 trails covering 89 miles.

The miles of walking trails and ponds offer mountain biking, hiking, swimming and fishing. The ponds are stocked with fish.

Stevens said the Parks and Recreation department has tried to bring back normalcy this year as much as possible by organizing Moxie Festival, 5K runs, car shows and cruise nights.

He said they are now looking forward to the winter fest that will take place in January.

The Miller trail will be closed until Nov. 15.