Neponset River Greenway

[FK4]

I could have just put this in "Biking in Boston", but I think it deserves its own thread. Some updates:

So the Mattapan extension is happening and will be finished in 18-24 months; the gaps by Freeport/Victory Rd remain a work in progress (I imagine for a long time).
From Bostonbikes.org

Segment 2 (Central Ave to Mattapan Sq)
**PUBLIC MEETING ON MONDAY 4/13** 7-8:30PM. Foley Senior Residences Dining Room 249 River St. Mattapan
DCR will present plans for construction. The public meeting presentation and other related materials will be viewable after the meeting on the DCR’s website at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/public-meetings
- Construction to begin this month (Ryan Playground – Mattapan), S & R Corp. has trailers on site. Project completion 18-24 mos.
- Lee Toma of Milton Bikes reported that the design is now complete for a new Mattapan Sq. Crossing on Rt. 28/ Blue Hill Ave. (Detailed plans can be found on the DPW Town of Milton Engineering page)
- Port Norfolk Park construction to begin after site visits this month
Segment 3 (Victory Rd. to Morrissey Blvd. – Nat’l Grid/ rainbow gas tank)
- Construction access agreement has been reached. DCR is going to survey the site with design complete by 6/30.
Segment 4 (Tenean Beach to Victory Rd)
- Land is not DCR property, belongs to MassDOT. Due to MassDOT employee transitions DCR has yet to find the proper contact and will need to “reopen discussions”.
- Currently there are no funds for the design on this part of the trail.
7) April 25th is Mass. Parks Serve Day – there are beach clean ups happening in Savin Hill and Quincy River Walk. More info at Neponset.org or DCR website.
8) The Trustees of Reservation are currently seeking seasonal (Youth Crew Leaders) and year-round employees. See ttor.org for more info.
Happy Spring!
Lynn

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

I was down there at the Adams St./Milton Station overpasson 4/8--rainy, raw, cold afternoon--around 5:00pm-ish and there were a lot of people on bikes in raincoats using it even then. This is so sorely needed.

 

[FK4]

Yeah it is... The next steps will be rail trailing the Dedham ROW, and connecting the Neponset to the Harbowalk. Just securing the latter (pricy, since it will require a large boardwalk segment near Victory Pt), would make this one of the best continuous pedestrian/bike paths in any city.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Yeah it is... The next steps will be rail trailing the Dedham ROW, and connecting the Neponset to the Harbowalk. Just securing the latter (pricy, since it will require a large boardwalk segment near Victory Pt), would make this one of the best continuous pedestrian/bike paths in any city.

Wouldn't hold my breath on Dedham cooperating with anything. Strange little town that just doesn't seem to have any interest whatsoever in any mode of transit. The T even initiated of its own volition sale talks for the West Roxbury-Dedham Mall ROW (ex- Orange Line extension trajectory) for a trail. The town bought it to subdivide for new houses on Belle Ave. instead, and it went from fully intact to fully obliterated in 3 years flat. State's probably not going to risk getting burned on the west-of-Readville ROW and will only offer an interim landbanking lease. It's been offered before, but except for the brand new High School athletic field whose access path is on a short segment of ROW they've shown zero interest in it. And it has full grade separation save for the missing bridge deck over River St. that came down a few years ago when the pilings were deemed at acute risk for collapse.


I really don't get the mentality there. They're the only inside-128 municipality that shows such disinterest. And it's not like they're all that upper-class or fundamentally different from the others. Much as I'd like to see rail service return on that ROW for a future Indigo Line fork to Dedham Center, they really do need a Minuteman/Arlington-esque trail there for easy inbound access to Readville station and the Indigo. It would get mega utilization, so it's baffling they don't seem to see the need.

 

[FK4]

Wouldn't hold my breath on Dedham cooperating with anything. Strange little town that just doesn't seem to have any interest whatsoever in any mode of transit. The T even initiated of its own volition sale talks for the West Roxbury-Dedham Mall ROW (ex- Orange Line extension trajectory) for a trail. The town bought it to subdivide for new houses on Belle Ave. instead, and it went from fully intact to fully obliterated in 3 years flat. State's probably not going to risk getting burned on the west-of-Readville ROW and will only offer an interim landbanking lease. It's been offered before, but except for the brand new High School athletic field whose access path is on a short segment of ROW they've shown zero interest in it. And it has full grade separation save for the missing bridge deck over River St. that came down a few years ago when the pilings were deemed at acute risk for collapse.


I really don't get the mentality there. They're the only inside-128 municipality that shows such disinterest. And it's not like they're all that upper-class or fundamentally different from the others. Much as I'd like to see rail service return on that ROW for a future Indigo Line fork to Dedham Center, they really do need a Minuteman/Arlington-esque trail there for easy inbound access to Readville station and the Indigo. It would get mega utilization, so it's baffling they don't seem to see the need.

It's a weird town and kind of a weird place. Half extremely wealthy old Brahmin estates, half working class and half middle of the road suburbia. The opportunity for any rapid transit down that way (above ground) I think is pretty much totally blown, but the intact portion of the rail trail has some potential, some day. But yes, frustrating, indeed. Maybe now that Milton finally caved and has allowed the rail trail extension over the objections of the scaremongers about the dregs of Mattapan crossing over and terrorizing Milton homes, this will allow some Milton-Dedham activist crosstalk to say, "See? Rail trails are a GOOD thing!" But rapid transit is probably never gonna happen down that way.

 

[Scipio]

Some parts of this were apparently finished this year:

I think the flyer is referring to bits off to the west?