The City of Somerville is soliciting bids to install lighting for the unlit stretches of the Community Path on either side of the East Somerville Green Line station.
According to bid documents, the work would install “luminaires along approximately 2600 feet (0.5 miles) of the path, to be attached underneath the existing rub rails along the fence separating the path from the railroad.”
The estimated cost of the contract is $580,000. The city hopes to start work on the project this spring, with an estimated date of completion in late September.
The project area extends from the west side of the McGrath Highway overpass to Poplar Street in Brickbottom, near the base of the bridge that carries the path over the Green Line tracks (see map).
“We need them so much!” exclaimed Rebecca, a frequent bike path commuter. “I feel safe walking alone except in the very dark spots and for biking, I slow down because I am afraid of hitting a pedestrian who doesn’t wear lights or reflective gear.”
The project’s blueprints bear the name of Arup US, Inc., an engineering firm that MassDOT and the MBTA had previously engaged to cut costs out of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project, which included the Somerville Community Path extension.
As previously reported in 2022 by StreetsblogMASS, the lights got value-engineered out of the MBTA project, leaving the City of Somerville to bear the costs of installation after the city took control of the path in early 2023.
Here's to a brighter tomorrow.
