Neponset Valley Parkway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Neponset Valley Parkway, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston
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Looking from Boston toward Paul's Bridge and Milton
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Boston and Milton, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 13 acres (5.3 ha) |
| Built | 1898 |
| Architect | Charles Eliot, Olmsted Bros. |
| MPS | Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 04001573 |
| Added to NRHP | January 24, 2005 |
The Neponset Valley Parkway is a special road in southern Boston and Milton, Massachusetts. It's like a green highway that connects several big parks in the Greater Boston area. These parks include the Blue Hills Reservation, Neponset River Reservation, and the Stony Brook Reservation. This parkway was built a long time ago, between 1898 and 1929. Famous landscape designers, Charles Eliot and the Olmsted Brothers, helped plan it. Because of its history and design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Contents
Exploring the Parkway's Path
The Neponset Valley Parkway starts in the Readville neighborhood of Boston. Its northern end is near River Street and the Mill Pond Reservation. This city park is also close to the southern part of Turtle Brook Parkway. The Turtle Brook Parkway is another road that connects to the Stony Brook Reservation Parkways.
Journey Through Readville
The parkway first goes east as a two-lane road. It then turns south when it reaches a big railroad track. To cross the railroad, it makes a left turn onto the John Hart Bridge. This bridge was built in the 1930s as part of the WPA projects. It's just north of the Readville MBTA station. After crossing, the parkway turns south past the station. Then, it curves east again. It crosses another railroad track to enter Wolcott Square. This area is a busy commercial spot in Readville.
Connecting to the Neponset River
From Wolcott Square, the parkway goes southeast in a straight line. It passes through a neighborhood with homes. The road gets wider, becoming four lanes, just before it reaches the Neponset River Reservation. Here, it meets the southern end of the Truman Parkway.
The parkway then crosses the Neponset River into Milton. It uses Paul's Bridge, which is a stone arch bridge built in 1849. This bridge was rebuilt and made wider when the parkway was constructed. On the east side of the river, the parkway meets Milton Street and Brush Hill Road. It briefly turns southwest before continuing southeast. Its southern end is at Blue Hill Avenue, which is also Massachusetts Route 138.
History of the Parkway's Construction
The Neponset Valley Parkway was built in three main parts. It was one of the first connecting parkways created by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC). The MDC was a group that managed parks and roads in the Boston area.
Early Sections and Upgrades
The first part of the parkway to be developed was between Wolcott Square and Brush Hill Road. This section was originally a city street called Neponset Street. The MDC's earlier group bought this street in 1898. They then upgraded it to meet their parkway standards. Paul's Bridge, which crosses the Neponset River, was rebuilt and widened in 1932-33.
Later Additions and Changes
The northern part of the parkway was first planned as a new road in 1901. However, in 1924, the MDC decided to use the current path instead. This path was known as Regent Street at the time. The John Hart Bridge was taken over by the MDC in 1956. It replaced an older crossing that went directly over the railroad tracks. The very southern part of the parkway was built as a brand new road in 1904.
