Community Path Progress Continues

By John Dieckmann and Jarrod Goentzel

Progress on the Phase 1 design of the Belmont Community Path continued during the first half of 2020 despite coronavirus constraints. Nitsch Engineering, the design firm chosen by the town last fall, was able to hold a critical meeting in early March with Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and MBTA officials at which the MBTA clarified its requirements for access to the Fitchburg Line on the north side of the tracks.

The MBTA feedback from that meeting keeps the project on track for submission of 25% design documents to MassDOT this summer, following a public meeting to collect comments on a draft version of the 25% design. MassDOT acceptance of 25% design is an important step in qualifying the Belmont path for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funding; in addition to a high level outline of the path layout 25% design also encompasses right-of-way and environmental permitting considerations.

Phase 1a entails building the railroad underpass between Alexander Avenue and Belmont High School and an extended path across the campus to Concord Avenue. Phase 1b is the portion of the Belmont Community Path path from the Clark Street pedestrian bridge to Brighton Street, where it meets the existing Fitchburg Cutoff Path to Alewife. A conceptual design report, shared in February with the Community Path Project Committee (CPPC), is available on the town web site.

The recommended path in the conceptual design report is 16 feet wide where space allows. The general route and design follow the north side of the Fitchburg commuter rail tracks. The path is set between 12 and 25 feet from the tracks. Between Belmont Center and Clark Street, the path climbs a 4.5% grade and runs on the MBTA-owned embankment between the tracks and Pleasant Street, reaching street level at Clark Street.

Between Belmont Center and the 40 Brighton Street property the right of way is about 70 feet wide (distance from the tracks to the Channing Road backyards), and the path is about 25 feet from the tracks, leaving about 30 feet as a buffer between the path and the residential property lines. An existing easement provides for a path about 12 feet wide along the 40 Brighton Street property, assuming the MBTA allows a retaining wall 12 feet from the tracks.

On March 9, Nitsch Engineering and town officials held a critical meeting with the MBTA and MassDOT. The key outcome was that the MBTA and MassDOT approved the placement of the path proposed by Nitsch, and scheduled discussions to formalize easements with the town. The MBTA also stated a clear preference for tunnel construction via the jacking method, which is generally more expensive than the “cut and cover” method, but with some flexibility regarding the plan outlined in the conceptual design depending on final boring samples. Though many details have yet to be designed, a clear plan for the path now exists, based on extensive use of MBTA land.

At a CPPC meeting on May 14, John Michalak, senior project panager for Nitsch Engineering, reported that Nitsch is ready to finalize the 25% design to submit to MassDOT following public comment on a draft version scheduled to be posted on June 29, and a public meeting in mid-July at which the design will be presented and residents can further comment.

Michalak also highlighted how community input shaped the design. For example, the existing trees and bushes will be maintained, and potential flooding issues on properties along Channing Road will be addressed by designing a new 12” subdrain to capture stormwater runoff. Submitting the 25% design is a key milestone in the Massachusetts Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) process to request state and federal construction funds.

The TIP is a five-year budget plan developed by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) through an annual process. Belmont already has a $1.5 million project in the TIP: the Safe Routes to School Improvements at Wellington Elementary School, planned for fiscal year 2021, which will reconstruct and widen sidewalks leading to the school and bring crosswalks up to current standards.

Phase 1 of the Belmont Community Path is already listed in the TIP Universe of Projects but with no timeline. The MPO process next year will determine if, and how soon, Belmont will be added to the list for a specific fiscal year based on a matrix of factors such as safety, mobility, sustainability, equity, and economic vitality, in comparison with competing projects from other towns.

The MPO recently completed its annual review of the 2021–25 TIP at a May 28 meeting at which  public comments were reviewed and a set of projects spanning the next four years formally endorsed. In the final two days of the public comment period, which closed on May 21, nine letters submitted by Belmont residents were classified by the MPO as opposed to the Belmont Community Path, with one Belmont resident listed in support based on comments during a Virtual TIP Open House. This ratio is exactly opposite of the 90% support in a 2013 town survey with 1,500 responses. It also does not reflect the level of public engagement at a January 2014 public meeting with 303 attendees.

While town deliberation regarding the path has taken eight years (starting with the Community Path Advisory Committee, formed in 2012) , it may only take one year for the MPO to determine if and when to budget the $16.7 million to cover the full cost of Phase 1a and Phase 1b construction (staged funding is also possible). Clear support  from town leaders and residents this next year could result in outside funding to build a major town amenity, and broad support could accelerate the timing.

The CPPC aims to post links to the 25% design along with a form for online feedback by June 29 and to schedule a public presentation by Nitsch on July 16. See the project web site for more information.

John Dieckmann is vice president of the Belmont Citizens Forum. Jarrod Goentzel is chair of the Friends of the Belmont Community Path. He can be reached at belmontpath@gmail.com.