Our first snow of the year came sort of late, with only 4+ inches falling on Boston all day
Saturday until around midnight. I drove out to Houde's Tree Farm in Marlborough during the
snowfall to cut a Christmas tree, finding that the roads were pretty clear. I shovelled my
couple hundred feet of sidewalk late Saturday night, after just about all of the snow had
fallen, and got my winter bike with studded tires out for the trip to church on Sunday morning.
I ended up covering a lot of ground Sunday afternoon, biking to MIT and back on several trails
to celebrate the birthday of MIT's first female graduate, who was born in 1842. Monday morning,
I tried a few more paths, and they were all clear, maybe a first!
Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic
with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University
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The road from the main entrance to the Forest Hills entrance was bare pavement on Sunday
afternoon, but you had to bike through refreezing snow to get out of the Forest Hills gate.
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Blackwell Footpath
A half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the
South St. Arboretum entrance
Boston Parks and Harvard University
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It didn't look plowed when I biked by on Washington St. and can be pretty icy.
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Roslindale Bike Lanes
Two miles of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills
to Roslindale Square and to West Roxbury on Belgrade Ave. and buffered and
wide bike lanes along American Legion Highway
Boston Public Works Department
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The Belgrade Ave. and Washington St. bike lanes were pretty clear, though they need repainting
pretty badly in a lot of places.
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Centre St. and VFW Parkway Bike Lanes
DCR, plowed by MassDOT
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Not checked but probably partly clear.
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Arborway Bike Lanes
Bike lanes through Forest Hills
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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The two-way cycle track which is complete along the Arborway west from South St. was
still totally unplowed on Monday morning, but the sidewalk was clear, so I rode on it.
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Arborway sidewalks
1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of
parked cars during rush hour
Department of Conservation and Recreation and Boston Parks
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The sidewalk was pretty clear from the end of the cycle track west to Murray Circle
and north from there to Kelly Circle.
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Morton St. Buffered Bike Lanes
Cemetery Rd. to Harvard St.
MassDOT
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Not checked.
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Franklin Park Roads
Much of the park loop road is closed to motorized traffic
and there are bike lanes on the main road.
Boston Parks and Public Works Departments
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Not checked yet.
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Centre/South Bike Lanes
A mile of bike lanes through the heart of Jamaica Plain from Jackson
Square and the Southwest Corridor to Forest Hills
Boston Public Works Department
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Not checked
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Jamaicaway Bikepath
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling
a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Boston Parks Deparment
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Bare pavement by Sunday afternoon, except where snow had fallen from trees.
There were wet places which might have frozen to black ice last night.
snow was too heavy to drift, so all you have to worry about is ice in shaded or
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Prince St.
A future contraflow lane around high-speed Parkman Drive which feeds into the Perkin St.
bike lanes
Boston DPW
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Not checked yet, but probably very clear.
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Perkins St. Bike Lanes
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling
a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Narrowed to half of full width, but pretty usable.
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Olmsted Park Paths
3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road,
across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.
Brookline Park Department
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Bare pavement except under trees where snow fell on the trail after it was plowed.
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Brookline Ave. Path
Mixed-use path from Riverway ramp to Riverway intersection
Brookline Park Department
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Mostly clear pavement by Monday morning.
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Parkway and Netherlands Rd. Contraflow bike lanes
Two one-block contra-flow lanes plus and contraflow cycle track
Brookline Park Department and DPW
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The bike lanes were pretty clear, with Parkway plowed to the curb by Sunday afternoon,
but the cycle track remained totally unplowed.
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Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW
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Clear by Sunday aftenoon.
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Brookline Ave. Bike Lanes
From Longwood Ave. to Park Drive
Boston Transportation Department
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Not checked yet.
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Boston Bike Lanes
Boston Transportation Department
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Commonwealth Ave. Bike Lanes
Fairly clear, at least around the B.U. Bridge.
N. Harvard St. bike lanes
Not checked yet.
Harvard Ave. bike lanes
Not checked yet.
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Brookline Bike Lanes
Town of Brookline
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Essex St. and Ivy St. contraflow lanes were pretty clear.
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B. U. Bridge Bike Lanes
Boston to Cambridge
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By MassDoT
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Two-thirds clear
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B. U. Bridge west sidewalk
Boston to Cambridge
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department or B.U.
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Totally clear by Monday morning
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Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge bike lanes
Cambridge to Boston
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
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Not checked yet.
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Longfellow Bridge bike lane
Cambridge to Boston
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
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Bruce Kulik reported Monday evening:
Mostly clear. Wet. 6" of snow directly adjacent to curb.
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Charles River Bikepaths
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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The Cambridge side was been plowed to bare pavement between the BU Bridge and Mass. Ave. on
Sunday afternoon, but the sidewalk was not touched. Upstream, between the BU Bridge and
Hawthorn St. on Monday, the path was almost all cleared to bare pavement, except in a couple of shady,
icy plaes
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J.F.K. Park
Wide, shared bike-ped path from river to Harvard Square
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Should be bare, but I haven't ridden it.
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Western Ave. Cycletrack
Cambridge
Cambridge DPW
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Not checked.
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Lincoln St. to Cambridge St. MassPike Bridge
Bike/Ped connection from Harvard Square to Allston's Harvard Ave.
district via Franklin St.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
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Not checked yet, but probably clear
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Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Clear by Monday morning except at some crosswalks.
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South Bay Harbor Trail
Bike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel
to the Southwest Corridor
City of Boston
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Not checked yet.
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Neponset Trail
Mostly paved Bike/Ped path
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Not checked yet.
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Beacon St. Cycle Track
Parking-separated path from Park St. to Oxford St.
City of Somerville
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Bruce Kulik reported Monday at 6.45 pm: Cleared. Some melt run-off. Aprons rough and chewed up
at street crossings.
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Somerville Community Path
Wide rail trail from Davis Square to Cedar St.
City of Somerville
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Not checked yet
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Mystic River Paths
A variety of paths in East Somerville and Malden
Mostly DCR
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Not checked yet.
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Red Line Linear Park Path
Alewife MBTA station to Davis Square over Red Line
City of Cambridge
City of Somerville
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David Merfeld reported on Monday afternoon that it was clear from Alewife to Davis Square.
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Danehy Park Paths
City of Cambridge
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Not checked yet, but probably fairly clear.
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Cambridge Bike Lanes
Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets
City of Cambridge
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Mass. Ave., Mt Auburn St., and Sydney St. bike lanes were clear Monday night.
Bruce Kulik reported Monday afternoon that Hampshire Street inbound bike lane was mostly
clear with areas of melt run-off and 6" of snow directly adjacent to parked cars, and
that the Broadway inbound bike lane was clear, but wet.
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Vassar St. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Main St. to Memorial Drive (almost)
City of Cambridge
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Clear by Sunday afternoon, but bike lanes at ends not fully clear.
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Brattle St. Cycle Track
Parking-buffered bike lanes between Brattle Square and Mason St.
City of Cambridge
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Clear on Monday night.
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Green St./Franklin St. Bicycle Boulevard
Narrow one-way streets parallel to Mass. Ave. from Central Square to
Harvard Square/I>
City of Cambridge
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Not checked yet.
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Fresh Pond Bike Path
Parallel to Fresh Pond Parkway in Kingsley Park
City of Cambridge
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Not checked yet.
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Alewife Brook Trail
DCR
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Boardwalk sections aren't plowed.
No report on the rest.
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Fitchburg Cutoff Trail
DCR
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Edward Sanderson reported that on Monday it was plowed with some icy spots.
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Concord Ave. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Belmont to Fresh Pond Parkway
City of Cambridge
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David Merfeld reported Tuesday morning that it was clear.
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Alewife Parkway Bridge Sidewalk
Connection from Minuteman Bikepath to Fresh Pond and beyond
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Not checked yet.
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Minuteman "Commuter Bikeway"
Towns of Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford
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Brian Ristuccia Monday evening reported: Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington plowed, some ice.
Snow piles at minor intersections and inbound to bike box at Mass Ave.
David Merfeld reported Monday afternoon that it was clear from Lake St. to Alewife.
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Watertown Bike Path
Town of Watertown
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Yuriy Kozlov on Facebook: Not plowed and icy on Monday morning.
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Upper Charles Reservation
Watertown, Newton, Waltham
4+ miles of paved and unpaved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Not checked yet
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Newton Bike Lanes
City of Newton
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David Merfeld reports that as of Monday night, Beacon Street and Commonwealth Ave bikelanes were clear.
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Medford Bike Lanes
Town of Medford
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Bruce Kulik reported Monday evening: Boston Avenue inbound bike lane is mostly clear with areas of melt run-off, with 12-18" of snow directly adjacent to parked cars.
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Revere Beach Reservation
Revere
Shared use paths (or very wide sidewalks)
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Not checked yet.
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Northern Strand Community Trail
Everett and Malden
Shared use path
Everett and Malden DPW
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Steve Leibman reported on Monday at 7:00: Plowed in Malden (but with thin icy patches in places);
some packed snow on a 1/4 mile stretch in Malden south of Medford Street to the Everett border.
Plowed and salted in Everett.
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Stony Brook Reservation
Hyde Park
4+ miles of paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
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These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation
use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me. There
are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the
reservation which are probably clear. After this snowfall, the paths
should be pretty bikable, though there will be ice.
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Former Metropolitan State Hospital
Belmont, Waltham
paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Not checked yet.
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Assabet River Rail Trail
Hudson and Marlborough, so far
Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough
(so far)
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It was snow-covered in Marlborough on Saturday, but the snow was still falling,
and it might have been plowed since then.
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Northampton Bikeway
East-west across the City of Northampton
City of Northampton
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Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, has reported that
it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm.
If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes
10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.
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Norwottuck Rail Trail
Northampton to Amherst
Department of Conservation and Recreation
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No report.
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