Floating Marlborough Lake Williams Boardwalk Opening Soon

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A new walkway completing a trail around Lake Williams in Marlborough could be complete before the end of 2023, according to city officials.

Marlborough is using an estimated $1.7 million from its federal pandemic stimulus allotment to install a floating boardwalk along the northern shoreline. The half-mile boardwalk will connect an existing trail that begins nearly Marlborough District Court and ends near Route 20 at the I-495 interchange.

ARPA stimulus funds were sent to communities across the country for projects that would help either recover from the pandemic or make communities safer. The federal government put some rules around what the money could be used for, but recreation was one allowance because outdoor activity was thought to be safer during the peak of the pandemic.

Residents may have noticed pieces of the boardwalk floating in the lake this week. The city released a video of workers installing the pieces, which will also feature areas to stop and sit.

The existing mile-long trail around a portion of the lake opened in 2012. Walking, jogging, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are the only permitted activities at this time. Because the lake is the city's water supply, many activities are prohibited, including hunting, fishing, walking pets, swimming and boating.