Neponset River Greenway skywalk bridge to be installed, buses to replace Mattapan trolleys this weekend

Greenway: Work is proceeding this fall on a 1.3 mile extension of the Neponset River Greenway. Above, a Department of Conservation and Recreation supervisor walked along the trail on the Mattapan side of the Neponset River on Monday. The $14 million segment will be completed next spring, according to current projections. 	Jennifer Smith photoGreenway: Above, a Department of Conservation and Recreation supervisor walked along the trail on the Mattapan side of the Neponset River in October. The $14 million segment is projected to be completed this spring/summer. Jennifer Smith photo

The Neponset River Greenway skywalk bridge will be installed over the Mattapan trolley tracks this weekend, Department of Conservation and Recreation officials said. Correspondingly, the trolley will be shut down between Ashmont and Mattapan stations from end of service Saturday through Sunday, to be replaced by shuttle buses.

Trolley service will be suspended in both directions until start of service on Monday, April 18, according to the MBTA. Shuttles will service the following stops: Ashmont, Cedar Grove, Butler, Central Ave., Valley Road, Capen Street, Mattapan.

DCR installation of the bridge will start early Saturday morning. It will complete the canopy walk portion of the Greenway extension, which stretches 1.3 miles along the banks of the Neponset River. A dramatic river-spanning bridge will be installed at a later point.

“The installation of the bridge along the Neponset River Greenway serves as an excellent example of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s commitment to providing recreational opportunities for the public to benefit from and enjoy,” DCR spokesman Kevin O’Shea said in a statement.

“As a result of this project,” O’Shea said, “future generations will now have the ability to travel from Port Norfolk Park in Dorchester to the Martini Shell Park in Hyde Park on a single, multimodal path, which will provide a great deal of access and opportunity for the surrounding communities.”


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