The Department of Conservation and Recreation began making safety and accessibility enhancements along the Southwest Corridor from Massachusetts Avenue to Forest Hills on Monday.
Chris Helms
Southwest Corridor Park between Green and Stony Brook stations, April 2014
The paths will still be rideable and walkable.
The scope of work will include improvements to asphalt paths, repairs to concrete path segments, and intersection improvements, including removal of cobblestones.
Crews will work on the corridor as late as the construction season allows due to weather.
There will be detours and one path will remain open on dual-path segments, and users can walk on adjacent sidewalk on single-path segments. On single-path segments cyclists are being asked to dismount and walk their bicycles on the sidewalk.
Let's hope the improvements are better than what was done to the Southwest Corridor earlier this year.
"I've been commuting into Boston multiple times a week on the bike path for about a decade and have greatly enjoyed the part of my commute on the path. Despite the bad repairs, I'll still use it," said George Mihailidis. "Just a shame that whoever did them didn't realize it or get instruction that the repairs should be flush with the path, rather than elevated 3/4 inch. As it stands, there are large sections that are like a bunch of little speed bumps. It's pretty awful and has ruined a nice path through the neighborhoods along the corridor."
Speaking on behalf of Bikes Not Bombs, Director of Community Engagement Gary Chin, said the repairs made by DCR were a net improvement in that the patches increased visibility of problem areas, which is important to cyclists who are new to riding the corridor.
"Cyclists and commuters who were used to the previous conditions of the path have been more critical. They feel like the new repairs act like speed bumps, and because they knew where the uprooted sections were they could ride around them," said Chin.