from Boston.com – Your Town Mattapan
The conversion of a former mattress store in Mattapan Square into a Department of Conservation and Recreation trail house is progressing and should be completed by the spring.
The property, adjacent to the Mattapan Square MBTA station on the Mattapan/Milton line of RT. 28, will be the neighborhood’s gateway to the planned and partially completed Neponset River Greenway, which stretches along the Neponset River from Dorchester to Hyde Park. (Read the full story here.)
In related news, the stretch of the trail that goes from Stop&Shop south through Hyde Park and Milton to Neponset Valley Parkway will go out to bid in February and should be built by the end of this year.
The trail between Central Avenue and Mattapan Square will go out to bid in April, with construction starting in June. Construction will take about 18 months and should be completed by the end of 2015. Where possible, DCR aims to move the trail closer to the river for a better view and to address neighbors concerns about privacy.
Segments of the trail connecting to the Harborwalk in Dorchester will follow later, as design and permitting haven’t moved as far along.
On February 2 at 1 PM, the Boston Natural Areas Network will host a walk from the Martini Shell in Hyde Park along the future trail route to the Fowl Meadow Trail in Milton.
BNAN will also host a Neponset Trail bike ride on March 22, starting at Fort Independence (Castle Island) at 10 AM, and following the existing and future trail all the way to Pauls Bridge in Milton and back.