Neponset River Reservation and Greenway Project

Major milestones in the creation of the Neponset River Reservation

The Neponset is the second longest of the three rivers that touch Boston, flowing from its headwaters near Foxborough northeast to Boston Harbor through Walpole, Sharon, Norwood, Canton, Soughton, Westwood, Dedham, Milton, and Quincy, in addition to the Boston neighborhoods of Readville, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester.

DCR owns a significant portion of the shoreline and surrounding areas and manages these holdings as the Neponset River Reservation. The Reservation serves as an important local and regional connection and recreational amenity for people in a diverse range of communities adjacent to the  Reservation and for  many who visit the area.

Key recreational amenities

• Pope John Paul II Park offers water views, trails, and large athletic fields.
• The Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park and Moynihan Recreation Area, which includes a performance venue, tennis and basketball courts and a baseball field, a playground, and a spray deck.
• The Neponset River Greenway, a growing system of shared use paths that provide recreation and mobility opportunities and that connect the communities along the Neponset. See below for more detail.
• Ryan Playground, with tennis and basketball courts, a playground, and a spray deck near Mattapan Square and the Harvest River Bridge.
• Kennedy Playground, to be renovated as part of the Edgewater Greenway project (see below), provides an additional neighborhood facility accessible to the neighborhoods upstream of Mattapan Square.
• Doyle Playground, currently undergoing a complete reservation, provides an additional neighborhood amenity closer to Cleary Square in Hyde Park.

Major milestones

Pope John Paul II Park: Completed 2001 on the site of a former landfill.

First section of the Neponset River Greenway (NRG), from Pope John Paul II Park to Central Avenue: Completed 2002.

Truman Parkway northern section and southern section: Completed 2010 and 2015, respectively. These projects created safer and more comfortable bicycle and pedestrian connections from Mattapan Square upriver to Neponset Valley Parkway in Readville. The projects reclaimed space from the roadway to create a paved side path protected by an ornamental wooden guardrail.

Truman Parkway, Neponset River Greenway

Second section of the Neponset River Greenway, from Central Ave to Mattapan Square: Completed 2017. This project created a continuous greenway from Mattapan Square to Pope John Paul II Park, including the iconic Harvest River Bridge.

The Harvest River Bridge

Projects underway

A number of projects are underway that will further the goals set forth in DCR’s Neponset River Reservation Master Plan, namely:

• A continuous river corridor path system, including a multi-use path along Truman Parkway.
• A balance between recreation resources (including increased access to the River and the Reservation) and conservation actions to protect important natural resources.
• Numerous access points (both visual and physical) from both sides of the river
• Safety and security.
• Enhanced views of the river and the reservation land for pedestrians, drivers, and MBTA riders.
• Connections from the Reservation both to the adjacent communities and to other recreational corridors including the Blue Hills Reservation, Stony Brook Reservation, Mother Brook, Pine Tree Brook, Reservation Road Park and The Fowl Meadow.
• Signage for activities as well as interpretive signage noting unique or unwanted (poison ivy) vegetation and other natural features, as well as historic/cultural features.
• Clean-up of the riverfront.
• Provision of facilities for canoe/kayak rental, benches and picnic tables.

Project status (as of December, 2024)

Neponset River Greenway extension north from Tenean Beach to Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester: completion expected soon.

Boardwalk connecting to Morrissey Boulevard, November 2024

Edgewater Greenway in Mattapan: Construction start in early 2025. This project will open up nearly half a mile of riverfront to public access with a trail, stabilization of the CCC-built cobble wall with strategic lowering and openings to improve views and porosity, a viewing area, landscape restoration, and renovations to Kennedy Playground.

Edgewater Trail Entrance

Osceola Street Bridge: In design. This pedestrian/bicycle bridge would connect the new Edgewater Greenway to Truman Parkway at Osceola Street in Mattapan.

Truman Parkway Feasibility Study: Underway. This study is assessing the feasibility of a “road diet” on Truman Parkway to enhance safety for all users, comfort for pedestrians and cyclists, and the potential for additional green space. This is a follow-up to one of the recommendations of the Neponset to Blue Hills Feasbility Study (see below).

Neponset to Blue Hills Feasibility Study: Complete. This study identified and evaluated alternative routes to connect pedestrians and bicyclists from the current terminus of the NRG at Truman Parkway to the Blue Hills Reservation and other destinations such as Readville, Camp Meigs, and Fowl Meadow/Burma Road Trail.

• 01 Executive Summary
• 02 Feasibility Study
• 03 Preferred Plan
• 04 Conceptual Designs and Implementation

The results include a recommended route for a shared use path connection from NRG to Blue Hill Avenue/Route 138 (at which point it will meet a future shared use path planned by MassDOT to connect to the Blue Hills), recommended cross-sections for multi-modal connections on Neponset Valley Parkway to the Readville commuter rail station, and a vision for a road diet on Truman Parkway, which is being studied in the Truman Parkway Feasibility Study (see above).

Doyle Playground: Construction start in early 2025. The improvements to Doyle Park, located between the Neponset River and River Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, will complete the transformation of the derelict, asphalt-surfaced playground formerly on the site. The project will realize DCR’s vision for improved access to the river with open lawn spaces, a performance space, a river trail and overlook, benches, gaming tables, and interpretive signage. The project also includes stormwater management and landscape restoration with native vegetation.

Ryan Playground: Construction start 2025. DCR is working with the community to design improvements to this heavily used collection of athletic facilities and splash pad.

Other: DCR continues to explore opportunities to implement other elements of the Master Plan, as well as to achieve the goals of the Master Plan through acquisitions, additional projects that enhance public access, and collaboration with the EPA on the Superfund cleanup process.

How to get there

MBTA: The Neponset River Greenway is accessible by commuter rail, Red Line, bus, and Mattapan Trolley. Options:

• Take the commuter rail to the Blue Hill Avenue station near Mattapan Square or to Fairmount or Readville
• Take bus 24, 31, 28, 29, 30, 33, 245, or 716 to Mattapan Square
• Take the Red Line to Ashmont Station and the Mattapan Trolley to Butler, Milton, Central Ave, Valley Road, Capen Street, or Mattapan stations.
• Take the Red Line to Savin Hill station and access the new extension from Morrissey Boulevard (see status of extension below).

By Car: Parking is available at Pope John Paul II Park off of Morrissey Boulevard and at the end of Hallet Street. Additional parking is available at Myrtlebank Ave and Butler Station.