Until Further Notice: DCR Says Ongoing Repairs Happening on Southwest Corridor Bike Path

Starting today, and continuing until further notice, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will be repairing the Southwest Corridor Park's bike path.  

DCR repairs will include the removal of cobblestone strips and path resurfacing from 6 am to 4:30 pm. The bike path will remain open for the duration of work, and detours may be in effect. Where applicable, DCR is advising users to walk on adjacent sidewalks, and that cyclists should dismount and walk bicycles. DCR said the schedule and scope of repairs will be posted on its website, and updated on an ongoing basis.

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Stony Brook Playground & Spray Deck Closed Into Summer for Renovations

The Stony Brook Playground and Spray Deck is closed into this summer as the Department of Conservation and Recreation renovates the spot on Lamartine Street. The renovations are being made to address the playground's surfaces and create a more inclusive play area. The project includes:

Installing new soft safety surfacing using poured in place (PIP) rubber within the playground and spray deck

Smoothing and resurfacing the asphalt surfaces around the spray deck and the walkway between the playgrounds

Constructing an ADA compliant walkway

Replacing park benches for better seating

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Letter: Our Vital, Historic State Parks Need Champions

The following is an open letter to elected and appointed officials and park friends with numerous originators who wrote the letter, followed by organizations that signed onto support the letter. Representatives for the Arborway Coalition, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Southwest Corridor Park Management Advisory Committee, and more signed the letter. Massachusetts state parks are in crisis. More than a decade of funding and staffing cuts have eviscerated the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) ability to meet its mission “to protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all,” while digging a $1.0 billion deferred
maintenance hole. The December 2021 Legislative Special Commission report on DCR (p.51) found that Massachusetts, one of the wealthiest states in the nation, nevertheless ranks last in per capita spending on state and municipal parks.

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DCR Implementing 3 Days of Closures of Southwest Corridor Park Bike Path Starting Aug. 18

On Wednesday, the Department of Conservation and Recreation announced there would be two weeks of rolling closures of the Southwest Corridor Park Bike Path starting Aug. 18. But then DCR was reminded by the public that the Orange Line is being shutdown for a month starting Aug. 19, and DCR reconsidered its plan and opted for just three days of rolling closures. The closure comes as a shock to many considering the city and MBTA have highlighted the Southwest Corridor Park Bike Path as an alternative for transportation during the Orange Line shutdown.

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DCR Working on Additional Design Alternative for Arborway Improvement Project; Will Tell Public About It In January

The acting commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation recently announced that due to public feedback they've been working on a fourth design alternative for the Arborway Parkways Improvement Project. In a letter addressed to stakeholders, Acting Commissioner Stephanie Cooper said the new alternative design won't be provided until an as of yet unannounced mid-January meeting. Currently there are two traffic rotaries: Kelley Circle by Jamaica Pond and Murray Circle on Centre Street by the Arnold Arboretum. One proposal would keep both circles, one would remove Kelley Circle, and one would remove both circles. DCR announced three alternative design plans to update the Arborway in November 2020.

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Jamaica Plain Has A Brand New Skatepark — And It’s Already Been Graffitied

There hasn't even been an official grand opening for Jamaica Plain's renovated skate park on the Southwest Corridor, and it's already been graffitied. Skateboarders quickly took to the newly renovated skatepark between Oakdale and Amory streets. Before being closed the skatepark had makeshift skate ramps made through the years, but now the skatepark has smooth curves all around it with a landing area for skateboarders, non-motorized scooters, rollerbladers, bicyclists, and more. The renovations cost $75,000, with the Department of Conservation and Recreation providing $50,000 on top of $25,000 from Converse and Wheels of Steel.

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Rush hour at Murray Circle on Monday, May 17, 2021.

State Blames Arborway Gridlock on Ill-Timed Traffic Light

Traffic engineers have changed the timing on a light near Murray Circle, a tweak they say should ease gridlock for car drivers. The state recently painted lanes at JP's largest rotary as part of an overhaul of the whole Arborway. The change has won wide acclaim among bicyclists but raised blood pressure among drivers. The gridlock has been worst along Centre Street from the Faulkner Hospital to Murray Circle. In a press release Friday, the Department of Conservation and Recreation said they've received "some complaints about congestion on the Arborway and Centre Street northbound in the afternoon rush hour."

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Rush hour at Murray Circle on Monday, May 17, 2021.

New Murray Circle, Arborway Lane Markings Spark Anger, Delight

At evening rush hour on Monday, the cars inching into JP's busiest rotary moved slower than a woman pushing a stroller along the sidewalk. Bikes, however, zoomed through via a new bike lane.  

Arborway Cycletrack! The broken link in the Emerald Necklace bicycle network has been eliminated! @EmNecklaceBos @bostonbikeunion @MassBike @StreetsBoston @StreetsblogMASS pic.twitter.com/clPBy9y8r0
— Peter Cheung (@bostonaruban) May 18, 2021

Murray Circle, the rotary that links Centre Street and the Arborway, received new lane markings this week.

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