Charles River Bike Path

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Charles River Bike Path
Charles River (Pear Biter).jpg
Charles River at night, with the Cambridge bike path on the left side of roadway
Length23 mi (37 km)
Location Boston, Massachusetts to Auburndale, Massachusetts
Trailheads Boston Science Museum, Norumbega Park
UseBicycling, inline skating, walking, paddling, rowing [1]
Difficultyeasy
Seasonyear round, some parts not plowed in winter
Hazards street crossings, narrow passing
Maintained by Department of Conservation and Recreation
Website https://www.mass.gov/locations/charles-river-reservation

The Charles River Bike Path is a mixed-use path in the Boston, Massachusetts area. A portion of the trail is named after the cardiologist Paul Dudley White, a prominent advocate of preventive medicine. His research led him to proclaim frequently "I'd like to put everybody on bicycles." [2] In 1955 White served as president Eisenhower's cardiologist and prescribed his famous patient bicycle therapy after his 1955 heart attack.

Contents

The path follows both shores of the Charles River from Boston, Massachusetts to Norumbega Park in Newton, passing through Watertown and Waltham. [3] The path consists of several segments in the Charles River Reservation separated by road and bridge crossings and forms part of the planned East Coast Greenway, the 3,000-mile trail system connecting cities from Maine to Florida.

Charles River Reservation

The Paul Dudley White Bicycle Path runs on both sides of the river within the Charles River Reservation. From the Museum of Science on the Charles River Dam Bridge, they run on sidewalk or striped asphalt path to Watertown Square (Galen Street/Route 16 bridge), a loop of 17.1 miles (27.5 km). [4] The paths run along the edge of Cambridge and Watertown on the north; and the West End, Back Bay, and Allston-Brighton neighborhoods of Boston on the south side. [5] [6]

Paved bike path and a footpath on the Boston side of the Charles River Charles River Trail.jpg
Paved bike path and a footpath on the Boston side of the Charles River

Part of the path will be turned into a river boardwalk as part of the straightening of the Massachusetts Turnpike. The portion between the Longfellow Bridge and Boston University Boathouse on the Cambridge side was rebuilt in 2015-16. [7] In 2019, DCR started soliciting public comments for a planned rebuild on the Cambridge side from the Boston University Bridge to the Eliot Bridge.

Upper Charles River Reservation

In 2004, a $9M master plan to extend the path westward from Watertown Square to Norumbega Park in Newton was completed. [3]

The path continues along the north side of the river from Watertown Square to Bridge Street, there crossing back from Watertown to Newton. This segment was completed in 1997. [8]

The riverwalk then continues along the south bank, crossing back to the north bank at the Blue Heron Bridge, built 2004 just for the path, and continuing to Moody Street in Waltham, near the Charles River Museum of Industry and Waltham Common. The route extends upstream with a combination of paths and streets, to Auburndale, the Newton neighborhood where Norumbega Park is located. [9]

There are plans to extend the path upstream along the curving river to Needham, Dedham, and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. [3]

Eastern connections

Bike recreation opportunities continue to the east with North Point Park in Cambridge, and Nashua Street Park on the Boston side. There are discontinuities near North Station and the Zakim Bridge before the Boston Harborwalk continues on both sides of the harbor.

The Somerville Community Path extension connects the Boston end of the Charles River Path to the network of mixed-use trails to the northwest.

Sequential connections heading north starting at the Watertown Branch Rail Trail, the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, the Fresh Pond Bikeway, and the Alewife Brook Parkway Path, also connects to the network of mixed-use trails to the northwest.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles River Reservation</span>

The Charles River Reservation is a 17-mile-long (27 km) urban preserve and public recreation area located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

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The Charles River Reservation Parkways are parkways that run along either side of the Charles River in eastern Massachusetts. The roads are contained within the Charles River Reservation and the Upper Charles River Reservation, and fall within a number of communities in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The Charles River parks extend from the Charles River Dam, where the Charles empties into Boston Harbor, to Riverdale Park in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Most of the roadways within the parks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a unit, although Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive are listed as part of the Charles River Basin Historic District.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Charles River Reservation</span> State park in Massachusetts, U.S.

The Upper Charles River Reservation is a Massachusetts state park encompassing portions of the banks of the Charles River between the Watertown Dam in Watertown and Riverdale Park in Dedham and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. It includes land in the communities of Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Weston, Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, and Boston. Some of the Charles River Reservation Parkways also fall within the park boundaries. The Charles River Bike Path follows the river through much of the reservation.

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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry service in the Greater Boston region. Boston has some of the highest rates of non-motorized commuting in the United States, including high bicycle usage. The MBTA offers certain provisions for riders wishing to make part of their trips by bicycle. The agency allows bicycles to be carried on all fixed-route services except the Green Line and the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line light rail lines, although they are restricted on the commuter rail and heavy rail subway services at peak hours. Bicycle storage areas are offered at many stations, with "Pedal and Park" locking bicycle cages at certain high-usage stations.

References

  1. "A1 Trails site with reviews". A1trails.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  2. Guroff, Margaret (2016). The mechanical horse: how the bicycle reshaped American life. Austin. ISBN   978-0292743625. OCLC   920683238.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 Pazzanese, Christina (26 September 2004). "Going with the flow". Boston Globe . Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  4. "Charles River Mileage Map/Table". web.mit.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  5. "DCR Charles River Basin map". Mass.gov. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  6. "Map of Paul Dudley White Bike Paths". Bikexprt.com. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  7. Memorial Drive Demonstration Project, Phase II
  8. "Boston Bikeways and Trails". MassBike.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  9. "Along the Charles River Path". Newton Conservators. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.