In Summer 2019, the Town of Belmont selected Nitsch Engineering to move the Belmont Community Path from concept to reality. This project phase is focused on the design and construction of the Belmont Community Bike Path, which builds upon findings from previous studies that can be accessed via this link. The design will incorporate lessons learned to build a safe and enjoyable Community Bike Path that increases connectivity between places and the people of Belmont in a meaningful way.

Project History

Complete connectivity of the entire Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) has been a vision for more than two decades. From the first Golden Spike ceremony held in West Boylston in 1999 to the most recent ceremony in Northampton in 2018, numerous segments of the MCRT are now being used by thousands of bicyclists and pedestrians daily. From the recently paved Wayside Trail segment in Weston and Wayland to the softer stone dust surfaces of the Wachusett Greenway, this 104-mile trail corridor will ultimately provide an uninterrupted connection between Boston and Northampton and to points beyond.

The Belmont Community Path, a planned 2-mile segment of the MCRT through Belmont, will not only provide a valuable link between Waltham and Cambridge but will open up access to many neighborhoods and points of interest including schools, parks, and businesses.

The first phase of the Belmont Community Path has been approved by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and is eligible to receive Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funding. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will oversee the design and construction of the project (MassDOT Project Number 609204). An integral component of the project is the proposed Alexander Avenue Tunnel, which will provide a significant safety improvement by essentially eliminating the need for unsafe railroad crossings over the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Fitchburg line between the neighborhood and the Belmont High School.