NEWRY – Good news awaits on the horizon for hikers and backpackers eager to venture into the majestic Mahoosuc mountains this year.

In addition to the opening of a 17.1-mile section of the Grafton Loop Trail – a new 42-mile true loop to be completed in 2005 – there should be plenty of off-road parking.

Starting next week, the Maine Department of Transportation will finalize grading of the Appalachian Trail crossing parking lot off Route 26 in Grafton Notch State Park, said MDOT project manager Bret Poy in Augusta.

This spring the popular lot, which has been expanded from a 40-car capacity to 62 vehicles, will be paved. Additional work includes correcting drainage problems and installing a new handicap accessible restroom.

Backpackers wishing to reach the start of the northern leg of the new Grafton Loop Trail can park at the expanded lot and hike four miles north on the Appalachian Trail to the Grafton Loop Trail junction atop East Baldpate Mountain.

But that’s not all.

A little more than seven miles south of the park on Route 26, plans are under way to construct a new parking lot this year, Poy said.

This lot, located off the Eddy Road, which leaves Route 26 4.7 miles north of Route 2, will initially have a capacity for 15 to 20 cars.

Additional space will be phased in as needs dictate, Poy added. Construction of the new lot was driven by the opening of the new Grafton Loop Trail section, which took three years to carve out of the woods and build.

“It was also driven by safety concerns for the number of cars parking along the road shoulders,” Poy said, in noting hazards associated with heavy Route 26 logging truck traffic.

Currently, the spot is an open, level field that is well drained. Of the total project cost, $145,000, MDOT has announced its intent to cover 80 percent or $120,000. Newry officials have proposed pitching in a 20-percent match in the form of cash, site work, engineering services, and lot maintenance, Poy said.

The new parking lot, which will encompass an area of up to five acres, is expected to be developed by this summer or fall.

“Conceivably, this fall if the landowner is willing to sell the parcel at market value,” Poy said.

In addition to providing access to the nearby Bear River, the parking lot will sport a restroom and picnic tables.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com