January 2021 Neponset River Greenway News

Neponset River Greenway News

January, 2021

Welcome to 2021 !

We're heading into the new year with high hopes for progress on the trail. On July 1, state funding becomes available for construction of the next section of the trail northward from Tenean Beach to the Morrissey Blvd. drawbridge. We hope to be able to announce a public meeting about the design in our next issue! We've been encouraging people to use the trail safely aned letting the DCR know where maintenance is needed. There is a new bike connection on Cummins Highway west from Mattapan Square to Roslindale, and we're looking forward to working with the city on Blue Hill Ave, including Mattapan Square, to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the river from the neighborhood.

-Jessica Mink, President
Neponset River Greenway Council

Updating Our Logo

Our old logo, shown on the left, was developed before our trail existed, when the only way to follow much the river downstream from Paul's Bridge was by canoe. Now we have 8 miles of trail, two new bridges over the river, a new bridge over the Ashmont-Mattapan trolley, and two new mixed-use paths over existing bridges to show off. Walkers, bicyclists, and runners can follow the Neponset River on land as well as canoeists and kayakers can on the water. We have redesigned our new logo to include all of those who use the Neponset River Greenway.

-Jessica Mink

Looking Forward to Meeting Face-to-Face

In 2020, we became a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and our board has been meeting monthly on Zoom, working with the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA) to develop a master plan for the coming years, and creating and posting signs to encourage people to use the Greenway safely. We've expanded to include Quincy, and are working on more connections across the river.

-Jessica Mink

Coastal Flooding

King Tide flooding inundates the trail several times per month around this time of year. You can look up tide charts online to see when to expect these events. Parts of the trail at Tenean Beach flood when the tide is over 11 feet, and the trail floods near Granite Avenue when the tides are over about 12.2. feet. Storms surges or easterly winds can increase the risk of flooding over the astronomically predicted tide levels.

In October the City of Boston issued their Coastal Resilience Solutions for Dorchester report. The city proposes to create a ring of protective berms along the coastline to help hold back the water as sea level rises. Solutions could include changes to Morrissey Boulevard, new coastal buffer parks and raising parts of the Harborwalk and Neponset Greenway trail.

Climate resiliency options between Freeport St and UMass include either raising Morrissey Boulevard or just the Harborwalk. Between Port Norfolk and Victory Road, the city may work with the state to create a new buffer area, in the form of a new coastal park. In the Port Norfolk neighborhood, the city is considering raising the perimeter roads to provide more protection to the houses, and would include bike improvements on the updated roads. At Pope John Paul II Park, a tide gate could be installed at Davenport Creek (site of our annual Pumpkin Float), and the Harborwalk / Greenway could be raised and turned into a levee to protect the neighborhood. The report seems to recommend only minor improvements in the area around Butler Station, and doesn't appear to address the flooding problem on the trail near the Cedar Grove Cemetery.

The project could cost $215 million for the Dorchester neighborhood alone, so it is not certain how the city will fund the proposal or how it will work with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation where their jurisdictions overlap.

- Lee Toma

Read the city's Coastal Resilience Solutions for Dorchester report:

December 13, 2020

Bike Lights Giveaway

On December 13 the Neponset Greenway Council participated in the MassBike #LightsBrigade program and gave away free bike lights to a bunch of people biking on the trail. The Lights Brigade program is intended to help make people biking more visible and legal. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 85, Section 11B requires a white light in front and red light in back when riding in the dark. If you are interested in lights for your bike, you can reach out to the Council online and we can help you out too!

Click the link for more information or to donate to the program.

Beautiful - But Slippery When Wet

DCR does their best to clear the trail of snow, but please be careful on the trail - snow beside the trail can melt and then form black ice, and the bridges are slippery when they are wet or snowy. We are working with the state to replace the "Slippery When Wet" signs that have disappeared from the Harvest River Bridge.

Winter hikers can attach strap-on traction cleats to their shoes to avoid slipping on ice, and bicyclists who want to ride through the winter can get studded tires from local bike shops.

We were surprised by an early snow in October, and it provided us with some beautiful scenes like this one!

- Lee Toma

Quincycles Joins

the Neponset River Greenway Council

Since its beginning in 2012, Quincycles has been a volunteer-led, community organization that advocates for bicycle infrastructure on Quincy city streets and promotes responsible bicycling as a means of transportation, recreation, and exercise in Quincy. Working with the Mayor’s Bicycle Commission, the organization has successfully advocated for bike network funding in the city budget and the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy. The impact of those efforts can be seen in Quincy’s growing network of bike lanes.

Although COVID-19 cancelled the group’s ride season this year, the Board of Directors wanted to continue to encourage people to ride their bikes in Quincy. Members shared favorite ride routes on the Quincycles website, highlighting lower-stress ways to get around the city on bike and several of the routes – as the ride schedule does every year – included the Neponset River.

Quincycles loves to bring bicyclists to the river and the attractions on its southern shore. Come on over the Neponset Bridge and see Squantum Point Park, the former airfield used by Amerlia Earhart now a wildflower park; views from the Quincy Riverwalk and Commander Shea Boulevard; views from the office parks west of Newport Avenue; as well as the lovely Billings Creek Salt Marsh Trail that provides a connection from the Neponset River to Wollaston Beach.

-photos and text by Irene Lutts

Walk along the future trail in Dorchester

The Council hosted a short walk to explore the next segment of the trail. We walked from Tenean Beach up to Victory Road and looked at the right-of-way beside the highway where the trail is scheduled for construction in 2022-2023. The new trail segment will allow you to avoid Freeport Street and the Expressway offramp at Morrissey Boulevard. Expect to see a public meeting to present the 25% design sometime in the spring.

Boston Society of Landscape Architects walk

On October 18 the Boston Society of Landscape Architects hosted a walk along the trail between Mattapan and Central Ave with DCR planner Stella Lensing and the lead landscape architect for this trail segment, Deneen Crosby. They discussed some of the technical and community challenges in creating the trail, how the trail has helped to tie communities together, and of course they enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage along the way.

- Lee Toma

Edgewater Neighborhood Trail

In October the Edgewater Neighborhood Association, the Solomon Foundation and the Barr Foundation hosted a walk along the riverfront in Mattapan, outlining their goal of better access to the river from the west bank upstream from Mattapan Square.

September 26

NepRWA cleanup removes 10 tons of trash!

Thanks to our friends at NepRWA and the scores of volunteers who helped clean up the river in September!

The Council and NepRWA work closely together to bring attention and improve access to the river. We frequently hear from trail users that they had no idea the river was there or that there was so much natural beauty so close to busy city streets. Be sure to follow NepRWA online to learn about their environmental stewardship work and their upcoming events and activities.

DotBike Community Ride

DotBike hosted a casual community bike ride in early October to bring people together and show some of the more bike-friendly parts of the neighborhood - and a bit of the trail. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their efforts to make the neighborhood safer for biking.

MWRA temporary pipeline

If you have walked downstream toward Boston Harbor from Central Ave. or Adams St. in Milton or Butler St. in Dorchester, you will have seen the pipeline that follows and cuts across the trail from Central Ave to the Shawmut Junction underpass. We've been told that this is a temporary sewer project that will be used while a parallel line is worked on nearby, and this should be removed in a few months.

October 29, 2020

Virtual Pumpkin Float!

This year due to the Coronavirus restrictions, we were not able to have our annual Neponset River Pumpkin Float along Davenport Creek in Pope John Paul II Park. Not willing to give up our Halloween fun, we decided to hold a Virtual Pumpkin Float, where we invited the public to join us on a Zoom on October 29th to show off their decorated pumpkins and Halloween Costumes! The costumed characters who joined us were fabulous, especially the pirate, astronaut barbie, and the frog princess.

The meeting started with a brief history of this great event and some pictures of the Greenway. There were some cute Halloween songs and poems for the kids, fun trivia games for all, and Halloween dance time. Finally, there was a lovely video of past Pumpkin Floats.

We hope that next Halloween we will be able to hold our usual Pumpkin Float, where we can see you all down at Davenport Creek once again!

- Maria Lyons, Dorchester

Thank You Representatives Scaccia and Cullinane !

Thank you to our local State Representatives, Angelo Scaccia of 14^th Suffolk County and Dan Cullinane of 12^th Suffolk County for their efforts in making the Neponset River Greenway what is today! During their time in office, Scaccia Cullinane were supporters of the Neponset River Greenway and worked closely with the Council, community groups, and DCR alike to help push along the various trail extensions.

We congratulate them on their successful years as State Representatives and wish them luck on their future endeavors!

- Andres Ripley, NepRWA

Neponset River Greenway Council Plans for 2021!

Now that we have built up our capacity in 2020, 2021 has the potential to be an even bigger and better year for the Council! With recent improvements to our Strategic Plan, we hope to have it finalized in early 2021, as well as a new and improved website to help people find out more information about the work being done on the trail! We also will be meeting with the DCR Commissioner in February to talk about some of the problems the trail is facing and how we can work together to improve these issues. Additionally, the Council would like to hold safe and enjoyable events for people on the trail! Be on the lookout for more news and updates!

- Andres Ripley, NepRWA

Neponset River Greenway Council

The Council meets at 7 pm the first Wednesday of each month to discuss trail maintenance, events and future extensions.

To protect yourself and others along the trail, please be sure to wear a face covering until the pandemic is over. You can tag us with your photos and the #MaskUp hashtag to share selfies.

If you come across a maintenance problem along the trail, you can notify the state Department of Conservation and Recreation at mass.trails (at) mass.gov or (617) 626-1250.

newsletter@neponsetgreenway.org

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