​Wayside Trail In Waltham To Link Boston To Northampton

WALTHAM, MA — For years, Waltham has been planning to take a 3-mile stretch of land next to the old railroad from the former Polaroid site to Beaver Street and transform it into a bike and walking path that would help connect a 104-mile path from Boston to Northampton.

"We are continuing to work with Pare Corporation on the design/engineering of the Waltham segment," said Catherine Cagle, Waltham's planning director. Cagle said the city has spent $478,163 on the project.

According to a request for bid put out earlier this year, demolition for the trail was slated to be completed by June 15 this year, but amid the pandemic, that appears to have been put on hold.

Waltham's Joe Pedulla who is part of the city's purchasing department said he wasn't at liberty to speak about the matter, but referred Patch to an upcoming meeting Monday.

The city council's economic development meeting begins at 7 p.m. Monday.

City Councilor Patrick O'Brien said he requested the meeting after getting a number of questions from residents and taking a walk along what is to become the path.

"It's something that goes back for me, I used to walk up those train tracks in the 80s, up to Wayland and Weston, and I took a walk there recently and it's all finished on the Weston/Wayland side," he said.

He requested that someone from the planning department attend the meeting.

In 2011, The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation leased 23 miles of the former railroad corridor from Waltham to Berlin to turn it into a multi-use rail trail in partnership with the local municipalities.

Since then, DCR has been working with communities and partners to develop a 10-foot wide shared use path along this entire corridor. The corridor, which hasn't been used as a railroad since the 1970s, passes through Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, and Hudson with in Bolton and Stowe. The hope is that it will link the entire trail, eventually 104 miles from Boston to Northampton.

Waltham in 2018 worked with Pare Engineering, to design and figure out permitting of its section, and Mayor Jeannette McCarthy set up an Advisory Committee for the Wayside section of the Mass Central Rail Trail. That committee met a few times in 2018, but have not met recently, according to members.

Waltham's section of the path would include three bridge crossings, one at Rt. 128, one at Lyman Brook and one at Linden Street. In 2014, the city estimated it would cost $5.3 million.

In January, the city asked companies to bid on the proposal to clear the way for the path and outlined that they expected work to be completed by June 15. By March 9, only two companies offered proposals: McConnell Enterprises came back with a bid of $441,000 and Aqua Line Utility estimated work would cost $781,000. According to Aqua Line Utility, McConnell Enterprises won the bid. McConnell did not return request for comment.

"With COVID a lot of things put on a back burner, even contracts," said Waltham City Councilor George Darcy, who added he suspected that's what happened here.

Belmont, which would connect to the Waltham portion, is working this year on its path.

O'Brien said he wonders with winter coming if the path could be a place to go snow shoeing or cross country skiing.

"It's something everybody wants," said O'Brien.

The city council economic development meeting begins at 7 p.m. Monday.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.