By John Dieckmann
The city of Waltham issued the notice to proceed with construction of the central Waltham segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) in May 2022. This segment runs 2.7 miles from Beaver Street by the commuter rail crossing west to Main Street at the Market Basket store. By mid-September, the tracks and ties had been removed and grading of the right of way had largely been completed with the exception of the short stretch from Linden Street to Beaver Street.
As of early December, the first course of paving was complete from the Garden Crest apartment complex, about 1,000 feet west of the Linden Street bridge, to Main Street. The remaining section from Garden Crest to Beaver Street includes two bridges that require rehabilitation and will take longer to complete.
The trail is still closed. The final top coat layer of pavement needs to be completed along with landscaping, guard rails, signage, and road crossings. Construction should end in 2023.
Path paving near Waltham’s Garden Crest apartment complex west of the Linden Street bridge. Photo: John Dieckmann
The two quarter-mile segments at either end of this central segment are still in the design phase. The western segment, which connects the trail at Main Street to the existing trail in Weston, is being designed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. It follows the Central Massachusetts Railroad right of way, crossing Route 128/I-95 on the existing railroad overpass (which is in excellent condition) between Route 20 and Main Street. Construction will be funded with state and federal highway funds, allocated through Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Improvement Program funds.
The eastern segment, from Beaver Street to the Belmont town line seems to be dormant for the time being, to be addressed when construction of the central segment is finished next year.
John Dieckmann is a director of the Belmont Citizens Forum.
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