Town Of Arlington: Arlington Kicks Off Study To Connect The Minuteman Bikeway To The Mystic River Path

Press release from Town of Arlington:

01/31/2022 12:38 PM

The Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) kicked off the Mystic River Path to Minuteman Bikeway Feasibility Study on January 26, 2022. This project will review the existing trails and feasibility of creating new trails along the Mystic River from Decatur Street in Arlington, along the Mystic Valley Parkway, to Summer Street in Arlington, over to the Minuteman Bikeway through Buzzell Field or via Mill Street. This project is funded through a grant of $80,000 from the MassTrails Program and $10,000 from the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation. The Town has contracted with Toole Design Group to complete this work, and DPCD staff are overseeing the project in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA).

At the January 26 public meeting, the Town and MyRWA introduced the project, followed by a presentation from Toole Design Group about the goals, existing conditions, and design issues to be addressed in the project area. A public survey is now available to collect feedback from the community.

• Take the survey (closes Friday, February 11)!
• Download presentation slides
• View the recording of the meeting below or by clicking here

This trail connection is envisioned in several studies and master plans, including the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Mystic Reservation Master Plan, the recently released DCR Parkways Master Plan, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Landlines trail plan, Arlington’s Connect Arlington Sustainable Transportation Plan, and the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Mystic Greenways Initiative. This length of the project is approximately 1.7 miles and includes studying the rotaries at Route 60/Mystic Valley Parkway in Arlington and Medford, and the intersection of Mystic Street/Summer Street/Mystic Valley Parkway, to improve safety and access for people walking and biking.  

The MassTrails Program is an inter-agency initiative of the Commonwealth led by the Governor’s Office in collaboration with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Funding for MassTrails grants comes from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) capital budget and from the motor fuel excise tax on off-road vehicles including ATV’s and snowmobiles, which is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Surface Transportation Act in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). MassTrails grants focus on the improvement of existing trails, the construction of new trails, and the maintenance of the statewide trail system.

To learn more about the project, contact Daniel Amstutz, Senior Transportation Planner, at 781-316-3093 or damstutz@town.arlington.ma.us.

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.