The
Neponset River Greenway on the Boston and Milton shore of the
River is a miles-long pedestrian/bike
trail from the mouth of the Neponset River, Boston, to the Blue
Hills Reservation in Milton. Uniting the communities of
Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and Milton, the trail connects
a series of Parks and provides an
exciting opportunity to appreciate the outdoors in an otherwise
urban area. The trail is significant in its
connection to the Blue Hills Reservation, as it provides access to
the largest open space reservation within 35 miles of
Boston. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation owns
much of the shoreline, including the abandoned railway line which
was transformed into the ISTEA-funded Neponset Trail - from
the mouth of the Neponset River Estuary through Pope John Paul II Park
(paralleling the trolley line), and onward. Since
Pope John Paul II Park opened in 2001, it has been busy with dogs, kids, kites,
joggers, walkers and bikers. The park
contains 1/4-mile of the Neponset Trail. The rest of the
trail, downstream to Port Norfolk and upstream to Central Ave.,
had to be cleared of arsenic-contaminated soil. Arsenic was a key
ingredient in an herbicide that railroads used until
the EPA banned it in 1980. Parks and reservations in the
Greenway include the Blue Hills Reservation, Neponset
Reservation, Dorchester Shores Reservation, Pope John Paul II
Park, Neponset II, urban wilds (various parcels of marshland,
meadow and hills), and more. Local
residents and government agencies continue to work to lengthen the
greenway. Learn
more about the Neponset River Greenway.
NepRWA, residents and government agencies also are working to
create another stretch of public riverside trail along the
Quincy
shore of the Neponset River. View a 2002
presentation or read the report
by local resident and NepRWA friend Wendy Ingram on the creation
of a Quincy Riverwalk. For an update on the status of this Quincy trail
project, contact NepRWA Advocacy Director Steve Pearlman at
781-575-0354 x304 or pearlman@neponset.org.
Dec.
2009
