Newton, Massachusetts Community Preservation Program  >>  Proposals & Projects

Charles River Lower Falls
Rail-to-Trail Bridge Conversion
Withdrawn October 2010.
location:
  Near Concord Street, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462, crossing to behind 27 Washington Street, Wellesley Lower Falls
goals:
  Convert the unused railroad bridge crossing over the Charles River, just downstream of Route 16, and the parcels abutting the bridge in Wellesley and Newton, for use as pedestrian bridge & park. The site is near existing trails on the Wellesley side of the river and could be connected to future pedestrian trails on the Newton side.
project
funding:
design
$12,000 Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation funds
$12,000 private matching funds from Wellesley Trails Committee & Newton Conservators

$24,000

TOTAL DESIGN FUNDING
 
construction
$46,784 CP funds requested in Newton (recreation land) 
$ private matching funds for Wellesley path & park
$ all costs not covered by Newton or Wellesley to be covered by Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation (for bridge itself) and Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (for approaches)  through the Accelerated Bridge Program

$850,000

TOTAL ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COST
contacts:
  George Kirby
Newton Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force Chair
email:   newtonbikeped@gmail.com
phone:  617 . 463 . 2078

Kevin Hollenbeck, West District Urban Parks Manager
Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation (DCR)
email:   kevin.hollenbeck@state.ma.us
phone:  617. 333 . 7404, ext. 105

John McInerney, Division Engineer, Bridge & Tunnel Construction Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation (DoT)
email:   john.mcinerney@state.ma.us
phone:  617. 561 . 6159

proposal review & appropriation:
5 December 2008
  proposal
5 December 2008
  attachments to proposal: photos, maps, application for DCR funds
(long file; may take a while to open)
14 January 2009
  presentation to public hearing (includes photos and maps)
2008-09
  Dept. of Conservation & Recreation presentations (scroll to see links for "Newton, "Lower Falls," or "Charles River Footbridges")

2009
 
sponsor updates:
28 August 2009
  cover memo & background correspondence
28 August 2009
  deed & plan conveyed to DCR (then the Metropolitan District Commission) in 1982
28 August 2009
  project timeline
28 August 2009
  preliminary cost estimates

2010
 
sponsor updates:
8 January 2010
  design (site plan & elevations),  large-scale:  requires 24x36 inch paper to print at full size
1 March 2010
  final funding request, including budget detail and online request for proposals (RFP) as evidence of state funding commitment
22 October 2010
  proposal withdrawn

project news:
December 2009
  Wellesley - preliminary site plan
17 February 2010
  Wellesley - process & funding commitments to date

CONTACT:  
Alice E. Ingerson, Ph.D., Community Preservation Program Manager
Newton Planning & Development Department,
City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, MA 02459
phone 617.796.1144, email  aingerson@newtonma.gov, TDD / TTY 617.796.1089