Mayor Carlo DeMaria is pleased to announce major status updates on remaining sections of the Northern Strand Community Trail, particularly the connecting piece between the Village and Encore Boston Harbor.
The completed Northern Strand project will result in a transportation and recreation corridor of about 11.5 miles from the Mystic River to the Lynn shoreline, connecting the communities of Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn.
“The City of Everett has long been committed to the Northern Strand Community Trail,” said the mayor. “As the first community to pave its portion in 2013 up to our ongoing efforts to add lighting and extend the trail to the Mystic River, we’re excited to now partner with SITE Centers and the EOEEA to see the existing path in Everett further enhanced and expanded to the North Shore.”
Three improvement initiatives that have been in the planning stages for the past several years will begin construction this year. They include the installation of lighting and security systems, new trail connections and intersection improvements, and a 3/4 mile extension of the trail from West Street to the Mystic River Harborwalk.
The installation of lighting and security cameras and call boxes is anticipated to begin this spring and is funded through the City’s capital budget. Lighting will be installed from the Malden line at approximately Wyllis Ave and extend for the full length of the trail in Everett. While this project has been a priority of the City for many years, it has been challenged in previous years by ongoing utility and drainage improvements that cross the trail, preventing the installation of necessary electrical and communications conduit. However with those projects expected to be completed this spring, work will then begin on lighting and security.
New connections to the trail will also be constructed at Norman Street, Parlin Street and Appleton Street as well as additional landscaping and upgrades to the community gardens at West Street. These improvements are being made as part of a broader investment by the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs which is investing more than $15 million to design, permit, and construct the Northern Strand in the cities of Lynn, Saugus, Revere, Malden and Everett. The $13.7 million construction contract was recently awarded to R. Zoppo Corporation through a public bidding process. Construction operations have begun with field work starting in early 2020, and full construction activities will commence in early spring. In addition to constructing remaining sections of the trail in Lynn, Saugus and Revere, R. Zoppo Corp will make additional improvements to existing sections in Malden and Everett. The contract is being administered by the City of Revere on behalf of all five communities.
Lastly and most importantly, the City is finalizing design for a ¾ mile extension of the Northern Strand Trail from West Street to the Mystic River Harborwalk with construction anticipated to begin in summer of this year. This has been a hard won project that involved negotiations with SITE Centers, owners of the Gateway shopping center, the MBTA, and DCR. The anticipated $3 Million cost of the project will be split approximately 50/50 between SITE Centers and the City of Everett. The City of Everett will be funding its portion through existing Capital Improvement funds and has also applied for a community mitigation grant from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to offset some of those funds.