shaffan33 t1_iy12og6 wrote
Does anyone know when Belmont will be done? I think when that’s done Waltham and Boston will be fully connected at least.
Master_Dogs t1_iy19to1 wrote
A few years minimum, because Belmont is doing it in 2 phases and they haven't even started construction on Phase 1 yet.
More details here: https://belmontcommunitypath.com/project-background/ and here: http://belmontonian.com/news/belmont-community-path-on-the-tip-of-a-milestone/
The second one says four fucking years to a full 100% design, so they're moving very fast 🦥
asmithey t1_iy1dlsr wrote
It's ridiculous how long the Belmont section is taking between catering to the nimbys and who knows what the engineering firm is doing. I know someone that worked as professional engineer on the Winn Casino in Everett and that was 1000x times more challenging a civil engineering project than a 15 ft wide path along an already established right of way.
threenamer t1_iy1h9ms wrote
Yeah, but Karen and Kevin don’t want poor people to breathe the air in Belmont.
Master_Dogs t1_iy42mz9 wrote
To be fair, the Belmont section does have to run parallel to the Fitchburg Commuter Rail tracks. Having to deal directly with the MBTA likely slows things down.
IDK why they separated the project into 2 phases and are taking 4 years to design it though. It's not really rocket science: keep people away from active trains, add some crosswalks with flashing lights (HAWKs if you want to get fancy) and call it a day. Way safer than the existing routes to get out there and way more capacity since sidewalk riding is extremely limited.
2tuna2furious t1_iy3zp54 wrote
It’s fucking bike trail why does this shit take so long 😂😂
Master_Dogs t1_iy41smp wrote
Short answer: the Town of Belmont is filled with your typical pseudo suburban NIMBYs who will stop at nothing to get everything they want and nothing you want.
Long answer: funding trail improvements takes time. Designing them should be the fastest part, since you literally just need to throw down 10 to 15 feet of asphalt and design a few connectors. Things can get a bit complex if you're crossing multiple roadways, and if multiple Towns/Cities/State Agencies need to be involved, things get more annoying. In this case, Belmont's section actually runs parallel to the existing MBTA Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line. This is due to the Central Massachusetts Railroad (of which these rail trails are being built on the old ROW of) ran parallel to the Fitchburg tracks from the Fitchburg Cutoff (now a path in Cambridge next to Alewife) to the old Clematis Brook Station. This is seen nicely on Wikipedia under the Stations and Junctions section of the Mass Central Railroad page.
Ultimately having to deal with the MBTA almost certainly adds some time to things. Throw in funding and their extremely slow planning process... and yeah, this is taking way longer than necessary. At least there's some quieter side streets to take that roughly follow the existing ROW up to Belmont Center... from there I can't wait for the path to exist to avoid taking the busier streets around there.
DMala t1_iy2bne5 wrote
Not that a second option wouldn't be fantastic, but you can already go from Waltham to Boston on the Charles River trails and almost never touch a road except for crossings.
rocketwidget t1_iy3n0ns wrote
I love the Charles River trail and use it all the time, but as the MCRT is built in in Waltham, Belmont, Wayland, Sudbury, and Hudson, it will connect to the Minuteman, the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, the Assabet River Rail trail, the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, the Northern Strand (Bike to the Sea), the Charles River, etc.
It's uniquely going to be a bike network hub.
Master_Dogs t1_iy42bfm wrote
The Charles River stuff basically connects to the Watertown Greenway too (using either Kingston Ave or the nice connector path here), so it could really provide a nice way for someone in Belmont to reach Harvard without touching a City street.
Hopefully one day they extend / improve the Charles River stuff too. No reason it couldn't go past Waltham towards Newton. Just a matter of routing and acquiring or dedicating some ROW to it.
rocketwidget t1_iy45c9v wrote
The Newton improvements might be in the works. First, in Waltham at the Woerd Ave trail end, there's a low stress road connection to the Auburndale Park Path in Newton, going to Comm Ave.
From there, there's a series of projects in the works in the planning stages at least, though, hurry up and wait...
https://www.solomonfoundation.org/projects/riverside-greenway/
I know pedestrian improvements crossing Comm were recently funded by Newton/MA for starters, and one of the next steps, the rebuild of the pedestrian Boathouse bridge over the Charles, is funded by MA for construction in the next few years.
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