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    Randolph Greenway >> Neponset Connector

    Randolph Greenway:
    Neponset Connector

    Bicycle from the Donovan School to Carson Beach

    Maybe you've seen the new signs at the entrance to the Blue Hills -- one at the Donovan School and one at the baseball fields on High Street. Those are part of a bigger vision to connect a mostly-off-road bicycle trail from Randolph to South Boston. There are three parts...

    We're asking the Randolph Community Preservation Committee to fund a new sign at the northern exit of the Blue Hills. That's right at Exit 3 on I-93 -- if you go north at that exit, you get to Houghton's Pond in Milton; if you go south at that exit, you get to Ponkapoag Pond in Randolph. Exit 3 has an overpass, with a sidewalk, to the two sides of I-93 -- so it's safe to cross on foot or by bicycle. We'd like to place a big map at the parking area off Exit 3 southward, based on the map at the upper right, showing the bicycle route to Boston.

    That parking area at Exit 3 is getting an overhaul in 2025 -- see details of a DCR overhaul project planned in 2023-2024 -- that project includes:

    1. At Exit 3, a bigger parking area, and some picnic tables, and a commitment to mark the footpath to the main Ponkpoag Path.
      (you CAN park at Exit 3 now, but there are only a handful of parking spots, and you have to figure out where to go, on your own).

    2. The "AMC huts" will get an overhaul, adding some accessible cabins and restrooms, plus allowing swimming for non-cabin hikers.
      (you CAN rent a cabin now, from the Appalachian Mountain Club; the project is mostly for historical restoration)

    3. "Fisherman's Cove" will get an overhaul, paving the parking lot so it can be used in winter, and adding "Welcoming signage" on Randolph Street.
      (you CAN park there now, if you carefully spot the entrance just east of Temple Beth David).

    4. "Wayfinding signs" will get added from the Ponkapoag Trail across the Horse Bridge to the Donovan School and High Street.
      (you CAN walk those routes now; the main path circumnavigating the pond is well-marked, but not merked once you go off that path).

Our goal, and the goal of that DCR project, is to integrate the Randolph section of the Blue Hills to the rest of the Blue Hills Reservation. Now we're ready for the next step -- connecting the two halves of the Blue Hills via the Exit 3 overpass.

  • It's a 25-minute walk from the Randolph side of Exit 3 to Houghton's Pond, where there's a beach and picnic tables.
  • It's a 10-minute walk from the Randolph side of Exit 3 to the Ponkapoag Trail, and an hour-long walk to circumnavigate the whole pond.
  • It's a 15-minute walk from the AMC huts to the Randolph Street parking area.
  • It's a 20-minute walk from the AMC huts to the Donovan School or High Street (both of which have parking also).

Bicycle from Randolph to Milton

The Randolph-Milton border is in the middle of the Blue Hills Reservation -- so crossing there is the key to linking the Randolph portion fo the Blue Hills to the rest of the Blue Hills.

We're asking the Milton Community Preservation Committee to fund some new signs showing people the way to Ponkapoag Pond. Those signs will be placed...

  • At Houghton's Pond, to encourage people to consider Ponkapoag Pond too. (Houghton's Pond is very crowded in the summer; Ponkapoag Pond is not).
  • Along the Blue Hills Parkway, the direct route north from Houghton's Pond (that road has a marked bike route already, for the part outside the Blue Hills Reservation).
  • Along the Neponset Trail, a multi-use path (that means pedestrian and bicycle) along the Neponset River, all the way from Dedham to Boston.

Bicycle from Randolph to Boston

The Neponset Trail goes directly to South Boston, ending at Pope John Paul II Park (that's where you see people flying kites when driving on I-93). In theory, that connects to the Boston Harborwalk, but that connection is mostly unmarked and on roads with traffic, and has few maps. Working with the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA), we'd like to help fix that.

MassDOT and MassDCR are currently fixing the worst disconnection -- building a new pedestrian walkway from Tenean Beach to Morrissey Boulevard, past the rainbow gas tank. Currently bicyclists must bike along Morrissey Boulevard -- it has a sidewalk but it also has parts where I-93 ramps join the road. That is getting fixed -- here's the construction for the section of Morrissey Boulevard that currently is the bicycle route, and here's the construction for the multi-use path through the rainbow gas tank which will replace the current bicycle route (photos taken January 3, 2025).

We're proposing with NepRWA to add wayfinding signage north and south of the MassDOT/MassDCR project, so people can find their way from the existing off-road paths to the new off-road path. With a few stretches on roads with traffic, those off-road paths continue all the way to Carson Beach in South Boston -- a total of 14 miles from Ponkapoag Pond.

References
Randolph Greenway, 52 West St, Randolph MA 02368
http://RandolphGreenway.com/Neponset.htm

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