DCR Begins Construction On A New Riverfront Path Connection Near Wellington

Next Monday, August 10, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and MassDOT will begin construction on a new bicycle and pedestrian underpass under the Wellington Bridge in Medford to fill in a critical missing link in the growing network of shared-use pathways and parklands along the Mystic River.

The new path will consist of a 14-foot-wide wooden boardwalk that will loop under the Wellington Bridge’s northern abutments in the City of Medford.

The project will also install connecting shared-use pathways to link to existing path networks in Macdonald Park and around the Wellington MBTA station. Planned new curb cuts along the bike lanes on the Fellsway will give bicycle users a more seamless transition between the off-street paths and the on-road bike lanes on the Wellington Bridge.

The DCR warns that construction, which is expected to last until spring 2028, could disrupt access to some of the paths in the area, but that it plans to maintain access for bikes and pedestrians along the Wellington Bridge, which connects Medford and Somerville, and into Macdonald Park.

DCR also recently finished another path connection to the northwest of MacDonald Park, the “Clippership Connector,” which we covered last summer.

When the new Wellington Underpass connection is complete, Medford will have a continuous riverfront shared-use path network that extends from Medford Square all the way to the Wellington Orange Line station at the mouth of the Malden River.