Community Corner

Greenough Blvd. Improvements Could Create Link to Path Network

The riverside path in Watertown could link to others heading to Boston and Cambridge.

Improvements to Greenough Boulevard could link Watertown's pathways to Boston, Cambridge and beyond.

The Solomon Foundation, which will spearhead the improvements to the roadway along the Charles River in East Watertown, has proposed adding more paths to the area.

The main part of the improvements call for narrowing the roadway on Greenough Boulevard by about 30 feet, and use the space to relocate the riverside path, Herbert Nolan of the Solomon Foundation told the Town Council Tuesday night.

That work will cost about $800,0000. There are two additional projects that could be included in the project, both of which would add new paths to the area.

One path would be around Hells Half Acre Marsh, a section of land along the river near the Eliot Bridge and across from Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.

The second would create a path through the Cambridge Cemetery and possibly the Mt. Auburn Cemetery which would link the path along the Charles to the Watertown Community Path which will eventually lead to Fresh Pond in Cambridge and beyond, Nolan said.

Both the path around the marsh and the one through the cemeteries are add-ons, Nolan said. The Hells Half Acre Marsh path would cost about $270,000, while the on through the cemeteries would be about $60,000. The biggest cost for the latter would be building a new gate in the cemetery. 

Planning has already begun, Nolan said, and construction would begin by the summer of 2014 under the proposed schedule. A neighborhood meeting will be held so residents can ask questions and give input about the project in the near future, said Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Watertown