Somerville Community Path facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Somerville Community Path |
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A typical section of the Somerville Community Path
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| Established | 1985 |
| Length | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) |
| Cycling details | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Right of way | Fitchburg Cutoff |
The Somerville Community Path is a special paved path in Somerville, Massachusetts. It's a "mixed-use path," which means it's used by different people like walkers, runners, and bikers. The path is about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) long and connects Massachusetts Avenue to Lowell Street, passing through a popular area called Davis Square.
This path was built in different parts between 1985 and 2015. It follows an old railroad track called the Fitchburg Cutoff. Soon, there will be an even longer part of the path, about 1.9-mile (3.1 km) long, that will go all the way to East Cambridge. This new section is expected to open in 2021 as part of a big train project called the Green Line Extension.
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How the Path Started
The area where the Somerville Community Path now runs used to be part of an old railroad line called the Fitchburg Cutoff. This railroad opened way back in 1870. It helped connect different train lines, like the Lexington Branch and the Boston and Lowell Railroad.
Over time, trains stopped using parts of this line. By 1979, a section of the track was no longer used to make way for a new subway line called the Red Line Northwest Extension.
Early Sections of the Path
The very first part of what would become the Community Path opened in 1985. This section was called the Alewife Linear Park and ran from the Alewife subway station to the Davis Square station.
Then, in 1994, the Somerville Community Path officially opened a 0.6 miles (0.97 km) section from Davis Square to Cedar Street. The part of the Alewife Linear Park that went from Massachusetts Avenue to Davis Square, about 0.4-mile (0.64 km) long, also became part of the Community Path.
In 2013, work began on extending the path even further, adding another 0.3-mile (0.48 km) section to Lowell Street. This part cost about $2.2 million and opened in the middle of 2015. There was even a special party to celebrate its opening on August 19, 2015.
Future Plans: The Green Line Extension
In 2014, officials announced exciting news: the Community Path would be extended by 1.9-mile (3.1 km) all the way to East Cambridge! This big project was planned as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX) train project. It was expected to cost around $39 million.
However, in 2015, the cost of the GLX project went up a lot. This made officials rethink some parts of the plan. In 2016, they thought about making the path shorter, only going as far as Washington Street. This was to avoid building an expensive bridge. They also considered making some parts of the path lower, closer to the train tracks, to save money on walls. This would mean fewer places to connect to cross streets.
The Path Gets Its Full Extension
Good news came in November 2017! A group called GLX Constructors found ways to reduce the overall costs of the Green Line Extension project. Because of these savings, they were able to add the full Community Path extension back into the plan! This means the path will go all the way to East Cambridge as originally hoped.
However, the new plans show that this extended path will be 10-foot (3.0 m) wide. This is a bit narrower than the parts of the path that already exist, and it's also narrower than the 12 feet (3.7 m) width that federal guidelines suggest for paths like this. People who care about biking have shared their worries that a narrower path might not be as safe, especially with many bikes expected to use it.
The Green Line Extension and the path extension are expected to be finished in late 2021. Part of this new section includes a very long bridge, about 1,400-foot (430 m) long, that goes over the Fitchburg Line and the Green Line. This bridge reaches about 50 feet (15 m) high!
