Arlington Awarded $80K Grant To Study Bikeway Connector

ARLINGTON, MA — An $80,000 MassTrails grant will fund a study to determine the feasibility of a trail connection from the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington Center to the Mystic River Path along the Mystic Valley Parkway.

The potential trail would run along the Mystic River from the intersection of River Street and Mystic Valley Parkway to Summer Street, connecting to the Minuteman Bikeway through Buzzell Field.

This trail connection is envisioned in several studies and master plans, including the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Mystic Reservation Master Plan, the recently released DCR Parkways Master Plan, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council Landlines Vision Plan, the Mystic River Watershed Association's (MyWRA) Mystic Greenways Initiative and Connect Arlington, the town's recently approved long-range sustainable transportation plan.

The portion of trail under evaluation is 1.5 miles in length and includes the rotaries on either side of the Route 60/Mystic Valley Parkway bridge at the border of Arlington and Medford. A focus of this study is to improve safety and access for people walking and biking in the area.

Arlington also received a commitment of $10,000 from the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation to assist with the funding match for the grant. Town staff will partner with MyWRA to oversee the project development and hire a consultant to conduct the study starting in late summer 2021.

MassTrails grants focus on the improvement of existing trails, the construction of new trails and the maintenance of the statewide trail system. Funding for MassTrails comes from the DCR capital budget and from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Read more about the MassTrails Grant Program at mass.gov/guides/masstrails-grants.

To learn more about the project, contact Daniel Amstutz, Senior Transportation Planner, at 781-316-3093 or [email protected].