Improving local bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure has long been a part of the Belmont Citizens Forum’s mission. That’s why, in 2008, we purchased a 3,558.7-foot-long, 30-foot-wide parcel of former Central Massachusetts Railroad land just north of the Fitchburg line tracks, anticipating that it might provide critical right-of-way for a future community path connecting Belmont Center to the Fitchburg Cutoff Path at Brighton Street.
It was not until 2012 that the Select Board appointed a committee to study and advise on a possible community path. Since then, a variety of committees, with notable leadership from former Select Board member Mark Paolillo and current board member Matt Taylor, together with town officials, community partners, state agencies (DCR, MAPC, MassDOT, MBTA), path designers, and engaged residents have worked diligently to make the path a reality. State Sen. Will Brownsberger and state Rep. Dave Rogers played key roles in helping our cause. The BCF’s ultimate goal was, from the beginning, to donate this land to the town, and last month, the Select Board accepted our donation.
Having cleared myriad hurdles on the local, state, and federal levels, Phase I of the path is now poised to break ground in 2027. We are grateful for all those who believed in our long-term mission of creating safe spaces for cyclists and walkers in Belmont, potentially reducing traffic and improving our air quality while connecting hundreds of children in Winnbrook and other neighborhoods directly to the Middle-High School. We look forward to continued work on Phase II of the path, which ultimately will connect Belmont to points west along the Wayside Rail Trail, via Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson, and Berlin. We hope you’ll follow along path development at belmontcommunitypath.com/belmont-community-path-phase-1/ and at belmontcitizensforum.org.
Grant Monahon, BCF board president, on behalf of the board
