ICBers are involved with many of the "Rails to Trails" efforts around New England and actively support legislation that would provide enhanced funding for multipurpose trails. Through skaters' participation on committees and task forces, we seek to ensure that new trails are planned with our specific needs taken into account.
ICB as an organization is also actively supportive of trail development and advocacy efforts. Through the years, the ICB has donated money both to umbrella organizations working across the country to develop and promote trails, and well as to specific local trail efforts. Among the former, ICB has donated to the Rails to Trails Conservancy, and is also a supporting member of MassBike, an advocacy organization that works to further bicycling as an alternative means of transportation.
Specific local trails ICB has supported include the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT), Charles River Conservancy, Friends of the Path, and the North Shore Bikeways Coalition. Together, these represent a mix of suburban/rural trail development and shorter urban efforts through highly populated areas. This reflects the mix of our member activities—the ARRT might well serve someday as a site for a Saturday social skate, while the Minuteman Bikeway Alewife Extensions into Somerville and further to the Charles that the Friends of the Path are helping to promote have already, to the extent they are complete, been incorporated into skate-commuting and night skate routes. (Further info about and links to each of these groups are included below.)
To date, cycling advocates have been largely responsible for the development of trails. Working together with and supporting cyclists on new trail development efforts gives inliners a chance to emphasize our interest in safety as well as fun and fitness and positions us as responsible members of the community. The up-front involvement of skaters may also prove valuable later when designs are being finalized and skaters are campaigning for smooth, wide (14-foot goal, with 12-foot minimum), and thus more expensive trails. Also, sometimes trails are planned to be crushed stone or other surfaces that might be fine for cyclists and walkers, but are useless for skaters. Unless we are out there having our voices heard, we may end up disappointed!
To get started learning about new trail efforts in Mass., skim through this page and see if your specific interest is addressed. If not, follow a link to any of the many sites and groups working towards building our trail network. Note: Although some trails like the Minuteman that have ongoing expansion efforts are also listed below, descriptions of and directions to completed trails can be found under ICB's Skate section.
The series of capsule descriptions and links below are organized as follows:
We recommend the following organizations for overview information:
To find out about upcoming trail meetings, take a look at MassBike's trail meetings listing or contact:
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike)
MassBike e-mail:bikeinfo@massbike.org,
59 Temple Place #669, Boston, MA 02111,
Telephone: (617) 542-BIKE [2453], fax: (617) 542-6755
MassBike's site is also home to Doug Mink's listing of Boston and Metro Boston Trails and Future Trails. While the ICB page you are currently reading is periodically updated, and focuses on those trails of most interest to skaters, Doug's list is more comprehensive; for example, it includes numerous shorter trails and trails with unpaved surfaces.
For information about trails elsewhere in the United States, see the Rails to Trails Conservancy's Trail Link page, or contact:
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy New England Field Office
2 Washington Square, Suite 200
Union Station, Worcester MA 01604
(508) 755-3300
The main Rail to Trails Conservancy site also has lots of information on the organization itself, and its programs. You might enjoy reading about its "railbanking" initiative. For example, it allows a railroad to provide lands to trail efforts without ever "abandoning" the right of way (ROW). This has significant implications for how and how quickly trail development can proceed in a corridor. Businesspersons located near a proposed trail may be interested in their document: "The Economic Benefits of Rails-to-Trails Conversions to Local Economies," Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1997.
To find out more about Massachusetts' progress in developing rail trails and read more about trails under development, see proposed legislation: Common Sense Ideas to Expedite Rail Trail Development in Massachusetts.
The Mass Highway department has a page describing the Massachusetts Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan it published in 1998, and its ongoing efforts in support of that plan. The plan's Vision Statement reads, in part, "The vision statement of the Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan is recognition of bicycling as a viable means of transportationa more balanced transportation systemImproving facilities for bicycling will lead to greater use." Since 1991, MassHighway has spent more than $12 million on bikeways. See the MassHighway bikeway page for further details, and hints about MassHighway's likely future initiatives.
Further information at the regional government level is available at Central Transportation Planning,
Central Transportation Planning,
10 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116
(617) 973-7118
Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee
Planning & Community Development Dept.
Arlington Town Hall, Arlington, MA 02476
(781) 316-3090
http://www.abac.arlington.ma.us
Bedford Bicycle Advisory Committee
Town Administrator’s Office
Bedford Town Hall, Bedford, MA 01730
(781) 275-1111
Cambridge Bicycle Committee
Community Development Dept.
City Hall Annex, 57 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 349-4604
Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee
Town Manager’s Office
Lexington Town Offices, Lexington, MA 02420
(781) 862-0500 x276
http://users.rcn.com/hwbingham/lexbike
North Andover Bicycle Advocacy Committee
Assabet River Rail Trail
(Marlborough, Stow, Maynard, Acton and Hudson)
On May 17, 2001, the opening ceremony was held for the first completed section (a 3/4-mile stretch) of the planned 12-mile long trail. More recent news includes:
September 14, 2002: ARRT trail construction project open for bid! MassHighway has announced the contract for 4.7 miles of the ARRT trail in Marlborough and Hudson will be advertised for construction bids Saturday, September 14th. The project has an estimated cost of $2,700,000. The construction bids are scheduled to be opened on January 21, 2003. Construction should start in the Spring and last for 12 months. The ARRT would like to congratulate all the people who made this possible, including the ARRT volunteers, employees and elected officials in Hudson and Marlborough, MassHighway, our state legislators and EarthTech, the project's engineering firm.
November 9, 2002: ARRT volunteers turned out for the 2nd annual trail cleanup
For more info, contact Jeff Richards, (978) 464-5581.
Bike to the Sea
(Malden, Saugus, and Lynn to Revere Beach)
Bike to the Sea (B2C) is making strong progress, and has received numerous grants in recent years. Their Web site http://www.biketothesea.com/ has up to date details. Contact Stephen Winslow, 83 Jacob St., Malden, MA 02148; (617) 397-6893.
Bruce Freeman Memorial Bicycle Path
(Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Acton, Concord, Sudbury)
Engineering design work on Phase 1 (7 miles Lowell to Westford) begun in spring 1997. Looking at possible 14-foot width. Phase 2 (Acton to Sudbury) will be later; needs to address problems of Assabet River crossing and Route 2 crossing, in addition to active rail line to lumber yard. Website http://www.BruceFreemanRailTrail.org appears to be up to date, has a good overview map as well as links to detailed maps and photos, and also offers chance to join email list. Contact Bob Armstrong, Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail: info@BruceFreemanRailTrail.org.
Cape Cod Rail Trail Extensions
Work continues on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, following the very successful extension to S. Wellfleet north of Nickerson State Park. The trail is also covered in the ICB Places to Skate section of our Web site.
East Boston Greenway
(Belle Isle Marsh to Piers Park)
The East Boston Greenway is connecting portions of the historic waterfront to Piers Park, the Boston Parks stadium and two Urban Wilds - Wood Island Bay Marsh and Belle Isle Marsh. It provides a buffer along the Logan Airport edge and adds about 12 acres of new park land and a 3.3 mile pedestrian/bike trail through the center of East Boston, by working closely with the "Big Dig" project and with the City of Boston who purchased the abandoned Conrail railroad line. For contact:
Boston Natural Areas Network
59 Temple Place, #558, Boston, MA 02111
Telephone: (617) 542-7696; fax: (617) 542-0383
info@bostonnatural.org
Fenway area path extensions
(Emerald Necklace Greenway, Jamaicaway, Muddy River Bikepath, Southwest Corridor Park)
Of interest to skaters for their "in-town" locations, and usefulness for commuting from Roxbury, Brookline or JP, this is a series of efforts to link urban areas along some of the original Frederick Law Olmsted routes.
Mass Central Rail-Trail
(Central Mass. railroad line: Belmont, Waltham, Weston (voted no), Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson, and Berlin to Clinton)
The Mass Central Rail-Trail would connect to the Minuteman Bikeway at Alewife Station in Cambridge, and travel 104 miles all the way to Northampton at the foot of the Berkshires. Speaking at the recent Golden Spike Rail-Trail Conference on June 21 2002 at Bentley College, MassHighway Commissioner John Cogliano said, "The more bike projects we build, the more we realize how much they are needed." The Mass Central Rail-Trail's Web site is up to date, and lists several exciting recent developments.
Minuteman Bikeway Alewife Extensions
(Alewife to Somerville & downtown, Alewife to Belmont, Alewife to Mystic Valley Parkway)
One radial arm of the network of paths being developed from the Alewife hub goes towards and through Davis Square, Somerville. A proposed continuation would create a 2.25-mile Somerville Path that will approach the Charles River Path. Eventually, planners hope the city of Cambridge will continue the extension seamlessly to the Charles River.
For more info contact Friends of the Community Path, 112 Belmont St. #2, Somerville, MA 02143, (617) 776-7769.
Minuteman Bikeway
The new Minuteman Trail Web site has a wide range of contents, including history, maps, links to spots and organizations of interest, updates on new constuction like the Bedford Depot and Lexington Depot projects, etc. In fact, the Bedford Depot has its own Web site, and construction began Novmber 12, 2002! To learn more about the very active advocacy groups that have sprung up in the towns the Bikeway passes through, see:
Nashua River Rail Trail
Ayer to Pepperell to Dunstable (border at Nashua, NH)
The plan is for two parallel 11-mile trails: a 10-foot-wide paved trail for cyclists and skaters, with a 6-foot wide unpaved path for equestrians and pedestrians. The two would be separated by a 10-foot wide median. (There is also talk of extending the trail to Nashua.) Originally slated to begin construction work in spring 1998. Construction design drawings were done in Oct 1999. In Spring 2002, 8 miles north from Ayer to Pepperell were officially opened. Contact: Danny O'Brien, Department of Environmental Management, (617) 727-3160 x557.
Neponset River Greenway
(Castle Island to Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park)
The Neponset River forms Boston's southern border with Quincy and Milton. The Metropolitan Distric Commission (MDC) owns much of the shoreline as the Neponset River Reservation, including an abandoned railway line which is in the process of becoming the ISTEA-funded Neponset Trail, a rail-trail from the mouth of the estuary at Tenean Beach in the Port Norfolk neighborhood of Dorchester, through the Pope John Paul II Park, along a salt marsh, then parallelling the "High Speed Line" trolley toward Mattapan, as part of the Neponset River Masterplan.
Pope John Paul II Park, next to the Southeast Expressway on the estuary of the river, which contains 1/4-mile of the Trail, opened on May 1, 2001. The rest of the trail, downstream to Port Norfolk and upstream to Central Ave. in Milton, has been cleared of contaminated soil which was found along much of the railroad right of way. Construction went out to bid in April 2001, and bids were received by May 2. Construction started in September 2001, and by January 2002, the trail was paved except for a stretch along the salt marsh. Paving of that segment was completed during the second week of October 2002. A future extension along the harbor (actually still the Neponset estuary) from Victory Road in Dorchester to Morrissey Boulevard on an easement between the Boston Gas tank and the Southeast Expressway has been designed, and funding came through in the fall of 2001; construction should start if post-9/11 security concerns can be addressed. A future extension along the river to Mattapan is possible, as are bikelanes on the Truman Parkway along the Neponset River from Mattapan to Readville. Development of a masterplan for this part of the river will precede any construction. A path along the Mother Brook, a major tributary of the Neponset in Dedham and Hyde Park, is being studied. View the map. Contact Doug Mink, Neponset River Greenway Council, MassBike/MetroBoston.
North Andover
The North Andover Bicycle Advocacy Committee has a wide range of activities underway in and around the town. ICB member Bob Naftal is one of the group organizers.
South Bay Harbor Trail
The South Bay Harbor Trail is a path and recreation area that will connect diverse Boston neighborhoods—Lower Roxbury, the South End, Chinatown, South Boston, and Fort Point Channel—to each other and to the expanding amenities of Boston Harbor. The South Bay Harbor Trail will provide an important link in the larger transportation network by connecting with existing streets and trails such as the Southwest Corridor and Melnea Cass Boulevard, and will provide an alternative way for residents to bike, walk, run, or skate from home to the water's edge. For more details, contact Lisa Mantoni at (617) 451-2860 for a brochure on the Campaign for the Water's Edge.
Blackstone Valley Bikeway (to connect the City of Worcester with the Town of Blackstone, passing through Millbury, Sutton, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge and Millville).
(Description needs update)
The preliminary design for the bikeway was scheduled for completion by September 1996.
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, (508) 278-9400 or Jane Weidman, (401) 884-3797
Cochituate Rail Trail
(Description needs update)
To celebrate the opening of a first section of the Cochituate Rail Trail and to increase public awareness, "CRT-shirts" were donated by The MathWorks, Inc., of Natick. They are on sale for $10 each (to benefit CRT projects) at REI in Framingham. The Friends of the Cochituate Rail Trail welcome volunteers who can donate time on or off the trail or donate money or materials.
Contact Friends of the Cochituate Rail Trail.
North Shore Bikeways Coalition
(their Web site last updated 1998)
Efforts include the Border To Boston: (Seabrook, NH, to Salisbury, MA, Newburyport to Topsfield, and Georgetown to Danvers) and Amesbury to Salem
Dan Tieger, (617) 253-9204
Contact Dan Tieger.
Norwood to Seekonk Trail
(Description needs update)
(part of the East Coast Greenway)
Contact Danny O'Brien, Department of Environmental Management, (617) 727-3160 x557.
Quinebaug Valley Trail
(Description needs update)
This 10.8-mile trail on the former Providence and Worcester railroad line will link Southbridge, Dudley, and Webster, as well as a Thompson, Connecticut.
Contact The Grand Trunk Trail Blazers, Ed Calcutt, 48 Shepard St., Sturbridge, MA 01566.
Sudbury River Aqueduct
(Description needs update)
(Newton Centre to Framingham)
Contact Dick Parkinson, 68 McLean St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02181; (617) 235-4917.
Tri-Community Bikeway
(Stoneham, Woburn, and Winchester)
(Description needs update)
The Tri-Community Bikeway will be a 5.7 mile path through Stoneham, Winchester, and Woburn. The path will begin at Recreation Park near Stoneham center and will follow an abandoned Boston and Maine Railroad right-of-way north past the Middle School and then southwest over Main Street to an existing underpass at I-93. It will continue west through Woburn under I-93 to the Aberjona River and then southwest along the river corridor to Winchester. In Winchester, the path will follow the Aberjona River corridor southwest to the Muraco School. It will continue south into Winchester Center passing within a short block of the commuter rail station. The route will continue south, paralleling the commuter rail line and connecting directly to the Wedgemere commuter rail station. Another segment of the path will follow the north and south shoreline of Horn Pond in Woburn. The existing Horn Pond Brook bike path in Winchester will link the south end of this segment to the other trail segment.
Contact Joan Blaustein, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02111, (617) 451-2770.
Upper Charles Trail (Description needs update)
The Upper Charles Trail is designed to be a loop trail of approximately 27 miles that will connect from the Framingham Commuter Rail Station through Sherborn, Holliston, Milford, Hopkinton, and Ashland. With the support of member communities, railroads, and state and federal agencies, the Upper Charles Trail project will reclaim abandoned rail beds to create a network of off-road recreational paths that will accommodate a variety of non-motorized uses such as bicycling, walking, cross-country skiing, and inline skating. On an average weekend day, the fully built trail would serve an estimated 2,500 users. There are several ways you can help develop the trail: attend the trail committee meetings in the participating towns, or volunteer to help with fund-raising efforts. The Holliston Trails site has more information about the trail and its status in each of the participating communities. Contact Joan Blaustein, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111; (617) 451-2770.
If you have updates, changes or corrections to this list, please send e-mail to Tom Keane.