Minuteman Bikeway

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The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway in Bedford, near Wiggins Avenue

The Minuteman Bikeway is a 10 mile (16 km) paved multi-use rail trail located in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts.

1 Route
2 History
3 Uses
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Route

The Minuteman Bikeway runs from Bedford to the Alewife station at the northern end of the Red Line in Cambridge. It passes through the towns of Lexington and Arlington on the way. At its Cambridge terminus, the bikeway connects with two other bike paths: the Fitchburg Cutoff Path and the Cambridge Linear Park which, in turn, leads to the Somerville Community Path. The Minuteman bikeway passes several notable regional sites, including Alewife Brook Reservation, Spy Pond and "Arlington’s Great Meadows" (actually located in Lexington).

The trail is 10 miles (16 km) long, though some sources list it erroneously as 11 miles.^[1]^[2]^[3]

[edit] History

Map from 1946, where Boston & Maine Railway passes along the route of today's Minuteman Bikeway.

The path comprising the current Minuteman Bikeway has a long history. The trail closely approximates the route that Paul Revere took on his famous ride in 1775, which heralded the beginning of the American Revolution.

Along the way to becoming a railroad, the path's right-of-way was laid out east of Lexington in 1846 by the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad and west of Lexington in 1873 by the Middlesex Central Railroad.

Railbanking of the line was first proposed in 1974, three years before passenger rail service was discontinued, and a full seven years before rail service was discontinued altogether (in 1981). In 1991, the final plan for the conversion was approved, and construction started on the original section of the bikeway. The path was dedicated in 1992 and completed the following year.^[4]

In 1998 the bikeway was extended from East Arlington to Alewife station (in Cambridge). In 2002 it was entirely repaved and in 2004 the Bedford Depot Park Enhancement project was completed at its west terminus. ^[4]

The property is currently owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and leased to the municipalities through which it passes on an interim basis.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Uses

Artwork posted on the Minuteman Bikeway by local artist Sonik

Area residents use the bikeway for a host of activities, including bicycling, walking, jogging, and inline skating. The main use of the path, however, is for casual biking ^[4]. In the winter there is often enough snow on the bikeway for cross-country skiing, as the bikeway is largely unplowed. No motorized vehicles are allowed except for powered wheelchairs and emergency vehicles. Plans are underway to extend the bikeway to downtown Boston via the Somerville Community Path.