The Massachusetts DCR converted Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton from a busy four-lane road to a green space with accessible paths for pedestrians and cyclists. The project includes new trees, crosswalks, and traffic signals to enhance safety and accessibility, with a focus on conservation and recreation over traffic. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller praised the transformation as improving access to open green spaces while promoting sustainable transportation.
Photo courtesy of Newton Conservators
A shared use lane for bicycles and pedestrians is under construction on Hammond Pond Parkway.
A dramatic transformation of the Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton, Mass., demonstrates what can happen when the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) actually prioritizes conservation and recreation over traffic and pollution.
StreetsblogMASS reported Dec. 2 that over the past year, construction workers have ripped up several hundred tons of asphalt to convert what used to be a four-lane highway without any sidewalks into a narrower, calmer two-lane street that includes accessible paths for pedestrians and people on bikes, as well as dozens of trees where pavement used to be.
The $11.3 million Hammond Pond Parkway improvement project began in early December 2023 with the goal of enhancing safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists between Beacon Street and Mass. Highway 9 in Newton.
While there is still some construction work happening, particularly at the northern intersection where the parkway meets Beacon Street, the new shared-use path along the western edge of the road is open and workers have started planting dozens of new trees that buffer the new trail from the roadway.
Currently, orange construction barrels and the new plantings can be found in a 10-ft.-wide strip between the bike path and Hammond Pond Parkway. Crews also have installed new crosswalks to connect hiking trails on either side of the roadway to the new shared-use path.
In an update provided by Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller earlier this fall, she noted that the road construction was "nearly complete," adding that crews were working to install curbing along both sides of the parkway. Fuller also said that DCR informed her office that the walking path along the eastern side of the parkway is likely to be finished by year's end.
Additionally, she reported:
- New traffic signals to replace the existing ones will be installed at Beacon Street and at the parkway access to the Chestnut Hill Mall and the Towers of Chestnut Hill. A user-activated signal also will be set at a new, accessible pedestrian crossing to connect walking trails on either side of the parkway, just north of the Boston College property.
- New streetlight poles and fixtures are scheduled to be erected in early 2025. If needed, DCR's contractor may add temporary street lighting for safety until the new lights are operational.
- The project's managers are aware of morning traffic backups (northbound) at the Beacon Street intersection and told Fuller's office that those delays may last until the new traffic signals are installed this winter.
- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will oversee snow removal along Hammond Pond Parkway. Snow may be plowed from the shared-use path on the western side of the roadway, but its surface will not be treated with salt or sand to protect the conservation area. To avoid damaging the new walking path's permeable stone-dust surface, though, snow may not be plowed from the path, Fuller noted.
"We are excited that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is moving forward with this transformational work to create a true parkway along a heavily used one-mile section of Hammond Pond Parkway between Beacon Street and Route 9 in Newton," she said in a DCR news release when the work was announced late last year.
"The $11.3 million investment by Gov. [Maura] Healey and DCR Commissioner [Brian] Arrigo … improves access into our two largest open green spaces at Webster Woods and the Hammond Pond Reservation, creates a safer and more inviting environment for Newtonians walking, rolling, and biking, adds a lot of plantings, and repaves a heavily worn road surface."
Located about 10 mi. west of downtown Boston, the scenic road slices through Newton's largest contiguous conservation area, which is filled with hiking trails that loop among rocky ledges.
When completed, the revamped parkway will create better pedestrian access to approximately 230 acres of protected open space stretching between Newton Centre and Chestnut Hill.
"Not only is this project important to the regional transportation network, but it also helps ensure our parkways provide neighborhoods with safe and accessible connections to economic centers and natural resources," Arrigo said in a statement from his office. "This project will make this busy road safer for the community while increasing green space for recreation and promoting sustainable transportation."
During the project's design process, DCR engaged with various groups from the surrounding community, including the Newton Conservation Commission, and incorporated valuable feedback from stakeholders, resulting in a project design that meets the neighborhood's needs while prioritizing conservation efforts and preserving the area's natural ecology, according to the state agency.
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