Great news coming from Dover! Last summer, the Town of Dover was awarded a $184,760 grant to design, engineer and permit a rail trail along the Bay Colony railroad corridor. Since then, the town has developed a construction project plan for the trail, including a timeline. 

The first phase of the project (Oct. 2024 - April 2025) focuses on bringing together a working group to develop a design for the trail. Once the preliminary design is completed, it will be presented to the community for feedback.

The second phase (Spring 2025) includes a detailed total cost estimate of the project (construction, materials, labor and future maintenance costs) as well as identifying key funding sources, such as federal, state and local grants and public-private partnerships. 

The last phase before construction (Fall 2025) encompasses presenting the project proposal to town meeting for approval. 

On Tuesday, February 25th, the town held an online public forum. This session offered a detailed overview of the project as well as a glimpse into the preliminary designs. Residents participated, asked questions and shared their thoughts on this community-enhancing endeavor. Find the recording of that session on the town’s Rail Trail Project page.

The Town of Dover is looking for volunteers with experience related to the construction of similar rail trails in Massachusetts or knowledge of public construction projects. Interested in volunteering? Please contact Parks and Recreation Director, Mark Ghiloni, at mghiloni@doverma.gov. 

We anticipate great progress from this new approach. Stay tuned for updates!

The Bay Colony Rail Trail Association continues to work to enhance safe connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists along the former railroad right-of-way from the Upper Falls Greenway in Newton through Needham and Dover to the Medfield Rail Trail. Perhaps the most challenging and expensive planned link is the crossing of the Charles River and Route 128/95 that connects Newton and Needham. Together the Town of Needham and City of Newton have taken the first steps to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed Community Way spanning the Charles River and Route 128/95.

The feasibility study was a joint effort of the two communities supported by a state grant with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The Needham-Newton Community Way feasibility study surveyed the potential connection between Oak Street at Newton’s Upper Falls Greenway, crossings over the Charles River and Route 128/95 and a new path on the old right-of-way in Needham Heights to Webster Street.

The grant terms provided for a two-pronged assessment of the corridor for use either as a bicycle and pedestrian pathway or as a combined bike, ped way and busway. The consulting group GPI conducted the study and included professionals with expertise in design and construction of both transportation corridors and rail trails. They also included representation from municipal administrations, elected officials, and volunteers from both communities. 

The study included estimated costs to design and construct the Community Way bridges and trail. Both the detailed final study report and the Working Group recommendations letter are available at: www.newtonma.gov/communityway.

Released in September 2023, the study included a survey of potential users in Newton and Needham that showed roughly a 2:1 preference for building a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian pathway (without carrying shuttle bus traffic). Although the study was limited to the area of the Community Way, the working group further noted that bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in both communities would be improved. The consultants and the Working Group found that inclusion of the shuttle bus option in the Community Way would not provide a direct connection to nearby transportation hubs (Newton Highlands or Needham Heights MBTA) and would pose significant operational, logistical, and financial challenges.

Connecting the Newton Upper Falls Greenway to the Needham Heights neighborhood with a safe, off-road alternative, the Community Way would improve pedestrian and biking access to the Northland Development on Needham Street and the proposed redevelopment of the former Muzi Ford site in Needham.

Bringing the Needham-Newton Community Way to fruition is a long and expensive process, estimated to cost over $22 million for the bicycling and pedestrian path option, and more than twice that much for the inclusion of a shuttle bus. Elected officials in the two communities must determine a path forward in collaboration with MassDOT and the MBTA (as owner of the right-of-way) on planning, scheduling, and design. The ability to move such a substantial project forward must include steps leading to state and federal funding for this project on the MA Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) long-term schedule, hopefully within the next several years. Given the extended state and federal funding time frame, the feasibility study cost estimate includes allowances for inflation and construction contingency. The Community Way would meet the most recent state and federal standards for path width and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliance. Since the Community Way would connect more than one Massachusetts community, it should enhance the likelihood of qualifying for state funding.

As part of BCRTA’s ongoing efforts, we will continue to work with local residents, especially in Needham Heights and Newton Upper Falls, to generate widespread community support for moving forward with the proposed Community Way. While the process will take years, we have spent the last decade successfully creating the Newton Upper Falls Greenway, the Needham Rail Trail, and the Medfield Rail Trail. The longer-term vision of the BCRTA includes a future Needham route from Webster Street to Needham Junction (avoiding the active portion of the rail line) with a link to the existing Needham Rail Trail and eventually a new greenway in Dover. The Needham-Newton Community Way is a critical piece in BCRTA’s ultimate vision of creating a safe connection (over 10 miles) along the Newton-Needham-Dover-Medfield corridor.

Needham and Newton residents interested in moving the Community Way project forward should contact their town, city or neighborhood elected officials and let them know of their support.

Based on an earlier article by George Kirby, Upper Falls Greenway co-founder and board member, Bay Colony Rail Trail Association (BCRTA) 

BCRTA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, maintenance and promotion of the Bay Colony Rail Trail.