Community Path extension ribbon-cutting - Wednesday 8/19, 2pm, at Cedar Street

[ron_newman]

The official ribbon-cutting for the Community Path extension will happen on Wednesday, August 19 at 2 pm where the path intersects Cedar Street. MassDOT Secretary & CEO Stephanie Pollack and Mayor Joe Curtatone will be there.

Comments

[billharnois.livejournal.com]

Only 2 years behind schedule!

http://www.somervillema.gov/news/city-break-ground-community-path-extension

[kevin89065.livejournal.com]

It's a good thing that this part is finished, but the path is useless to me until it connects to Boston. As it is, if you're biking to Boston/Cambridge or even most places I'd want to go in Somerville, the path brings you pretty far out of the way.

What's the current ETA on the final stretch? 2020?

[ron_newman]

Every time I go there, I see plenty of people using it. It will help people walk or bike between Davis Square and Magoun Square or Winter Hill.

And it is useful for biking between Davis Square and Boston, if you go via Pearl Street in East Somerville and Main Street in Charlestown (a generally pleasant, low-traffic route)

Edit: this is the route I'm referring to. Google Maps doesn't yet know that the extension is open, so the mapped route uses parallel Alpine and Princeton streets.

[kevin89065.livejournal.com]

Thanks for including the route. That still seems somewhat complicated to me, not to mention including a 'wrong way down the one-way' and a few small one way streets with cars parked on both sides. Also, don't you need to carry your bike up the steps when you leave the community path?

This is my current preferred way into Boston from Davis Square. It has bike lanes the whole way, with the exception of Charles street, although that has many bikers and 3-4 lanes so it's easy enough to be away from the traffic.

Google maps link (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Davis+Square,+Somerville,+MA+02144/Rose+Kennedy+Greenway,+Kneeland+Street,+Boston,+MA/@42.3762453,-71.0964199,13.95z/data=!4m54!4m53!1m45!1m1!1s0x89e3771f4a12ba1d:0xb064830817beb387!2m2!1d-71.1222263!2d42.3966762!3m4!1m2!1d-71.1161218!2d42.3875409!3s0x89e3773c6ff12fe7:0x5bd645a54198a9b6!3m4!1m2!1d-71.1162481!2d42.3867157!3s0x89e3773c11373e1b:0x27373807ac76edc3!3m4!1m2!1d-71.091321!2d42.3629783!3s0x89e370aea86cd4ff:0xc04ae243550eabb7!3m4!1m2!1d-71.071951!2d42.3613517!3s0x89e370988dcff209:0xd2679d630c327010!3m4!1m2!1d-71.065316!2d42.354642!3s0x89e3709d97961741:0x211344a68ae31a33!3m4!1m2!1d-71.0627378!2d42.3560303!3s0x89e3709cc4fc6901:0x7ebcdff9bd262700!3m4!1m2!1d-71.0566838!2d42.3533602!3s0x89e370823ceb3335:0xc3007dc11e10ed29!3m4!1m2!1d-71.0523667!2d42.3536334!3s0x89e37080560dfd4b:0x3ab2cb132abc6128!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e3708e4fb86927:0x853bcafb4f91d39d!2m2!1d-71.0588767!2d42.3644567!3e1)

I kept the same endpoint but my work is actually closer to South Station and the whole thing takes me 30 minutes.

[ron_newman]

The Lowell Street end of the Community Path has both stairs and a ramp. You don't need to carry your bike up any stairs.

The one-way streets are very lightly used residential streets, so it should be fine to ride on them either direction, as long has you use a headlight at night.

[ron_newman]

The next part of the Community Path will be built along with the Green Line extension, so it will go from North Point in East Cambridge to around Washington Street in Somerville, near Union Square. Connecting to Lowell Street will be part of the next phase of Green Line extension.