East Boston Greenway

East Boston Greenway

Section of the shared use path on the Greenway
Type Urban park
Location East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
Area 15 acres (61,000 m2)/1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Operated by Massachusetts Port Authority
Status Open all year
Public transit access Maverick Station, Airport Station and Wood Island Station via the MBTA Blue Line

The East Boston Greenway is a shared use path and park in East Boston that is located along the path of a former Conrail line. The greenway connects several significant open space areas in East Boston, including Piers Park, Memorial Stadium, Bremen Street Park, Wood Island Bay Marsh and Belle Isle Marsh. When completed, the line is expected to be 3.3 miles in length.[1]

History

Originally, the line in East Boston was built for industrial usage by the Grand Junction Railroad and Depot Company. At points, the Greenway parallels the tracks of the former Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad, now the MBTA's Blue Line. After Conrail abandoned the tracks, the area became a dumping ground, and the area was first cleaned up by residents in 1978. Around this time, there was talk about converting the land into a bike trail, although it took the donation of over a mile of land by Conrail in 1997 to advance this idea.

The entire community was not necessarily supportive of the idea at first, as the local chamber of commerce wanted to use the route as a truck route to Logan International Airport. This idea gained little support, and construction of the East Boston Greenway began in 1999. In 2007, the Greenway opened.[2]

Points of interest

Bicycle parking at Logan Rental Car Center, accessible from the Greenway

The Greenway passes through Bremen Street Park, where there is an entrance to the Blue Line Airport Station. Free shuttle buses connect the station to the airport terminals. A branch off of the Greenway leads to the East Boston Memorial Stadium and to the Logan Airport Rental Car Center, where there is also bicycle parking. Off of Bremen Street, the East Boston YMCA is located at the former engine house for the line, and was constructed in 1909.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "East Boston Greenway". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 "East Boston Walking Tour" (PDF). Northeastern University. Retrieved 25 December 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 42°22′32″N 71°01′48″W / 42.3756°N 71.0300°W / 42.3756; -71.0300

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