DCR Pilots Car-Free Roads In Blue Hills Reservation This Weekend
Beginning today, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will test weekend restrictions on motor vehicle traffic on parts of Chickatawbut Road and Wampatuck Road in the heart of the Blue Hills Reservation.
In an effort to improve safety, reduce air pollution inside the park, and enhance recreational opportunities, DCR will close gates at the Chickatawbut Overlook (about 1 kilometer east of Randolph Road in Milton), at Purgatory Road near Granite Street in Braintree, and on Wampatuck Road at Bunker Hill Lane in Quincy.
The vehicular traffic closures will extend on weekends, 5 p.m. Friday through 6 p.m. each Sunday, through September 6, in an effort to quash illegal nighttime drag races that have afflicted the park.
Each roadway will remain accessible to hikers, walkers, cyclists and emergency vehicles. DCR plans to collect data on traffic diversions and evaluate the closures further later this fall.
The eastern portions of both park roads are within easy walking distance of stops along the MBTA’s Route 238, which connects to the Red Line at the Quincy Center and Quincy Adams stations. The western entrance of Chickatawbut Road is near the MBTA’s Route 240, which connects to the Ashmont Red Line station and runs approximately every 30 minutes, or every 45 minutes on Sundays.
