Alewife Linear Park
Coordinates: 42°23′53″N 71°8′4″W / 42.39806°N 71.13444°W
The Linear Park is a mixed-use path, about one mile (1.6 km) long, running through Cambridge and Somerville (Massachusetts), and connecting the Minuteman Bikeway and the Fitchburg Cutoff Path near Alewife with the Somerville Community Path at Davis Square. The path is used for bicycling, walking, jogging, and inline skating. The path runs though a long, narrow park that was built above the MBTA Red Line subway when it was extended from Davis Square to Alewife. It was established by the MBTA in 1985, and is maintained by the cities of Cambridge and Somerville.
The segment in Cambridge is also known as the Cambridge Linear Park. The Somerville segment is signed as the "Somerville Community Path: Alewife Linear Park Segment".
The Massachusetts Highway Department has designed an improved crossing of Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, but as of 2008, it is unclear when this will be constructed.[1]
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[edit] History
From Somerville nearly to Alewife, the park follows a right-of-way first established in 1870 and used by a succession of railroad companies. This route was used for passenger service on the Lexington Branch between 1870 and 1927,[2] and for freight operations on the Fitchburg Cutoff for several decades longer.
[edit] References
- ^ Gilsdorf, Ethan (June 29, 2008). "Popular bike trail gets even better". boston.com. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/06/29/popular_bike_trail_gets_even_better/?page=2. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Worden, John L. III (1991). Arlington's Little Local Railroad. The Arlington Historical Society. http://arlingtonhistorical.org/museumshop/.
