MassPaths Bikepath Snow Plowing Report
Monday, March 4, 2019

Bike paths and lanes are integral parts of the bicycle transportation network, and these reports are provided to encourage their use by bicyclists who might otherwise not venture out in the snow, and to encourage their proper maintenance (which includes snow plowing) by the responsible agencies given in bold type below. If they are not plowed while the snow is still soft, paths with significant foot traffic become unskiable within a day, and remain a mess for everyone until the ice melts.

It was just barely starting to snow when I walked home around 9 Sunday night, but by Monday morning, there were 8 inches of very wet snow on the ground. After shovelled my sidewalks, I biked to work on clear streets (with snow shovelled off cars and out of driveways onto them) and fairly clear bike paths. The paths I took were well-plowed, with lots of bare pavement, no ice, and no problems on the occasional unplowed sections with my studded snow tires.

Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Jessica Mink.

Arnold Arboretum
1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections
Boston Parks and Harvard University
The road between the two Arborway entrances was plowed to bare pavement as was the part of the road up Bussey Hill that I could see
Blackwell Footpath
A half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the South St. Arboretum entrance
Boston Parks and Harvard University
It didn't look plowed when I biked by on Washington St. and can be pretty icy.
Roslindale Bike Lanes
Two miles of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square and to West Roxbury on Belgrade Ave. and buffered and wide bike lanes along American Legion Highway
Boston Public Works Department
Still snow-covered on Monday night
Centre St. and VFW Parkway Bike Lanes
DCR, plowed by MassDOT
Not checked but probably partly clear.
Arborway Bike Lanes
Bike lanes through Forest Hills
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The two-way cycle track which is complete along the Arborway west from South St. was totally clear, but the paths around the station were only occasionally clear in the morning. The southbound cycle track along Washington St. was well-plowed, but the ramp to the Washington St. bike lane was blocked by a pile of snow, which was OK because the bike lane was still covered by snow Monday night.
Arborway sidewalks
1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of parked cars during rush hour
Department of Conservation and Recreation and Boston Parks
Not clear between Arboretum entrances in the morning, but clear to Murray Circle and from Murray Circle all of the way to Jamaica Pond. It was clear all of the way by Monday night. The sidewalk across the Murray Circle median was unplowed Monday morning, but clear by Tuesday morning.
Morton St. Buffered Bike Lanes
Cemetery Rd. to Harvard St.
MassDOT
Not checked
Franklin Park Roads
Much of the park loop road is closed to motorized traffic and there are bike lanes on the main road.
Boston Parks and Public Works Departments
Not checked yet.
Centre/South Bike Lanes
A mile of bike lanes through the heart of Jamaica Plain from Jackson Square and the Southwest Corridor to Forest Hills
Boston Public Works Department
Narrowed by cars parked into them and left lines worn out, but often bikable.
Jamaicaway Bikepath
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Boston Parks Deparment
Plowed to bare pavement in the morning.
Prince St.
A future contraflow lane around high-speed Parkman Drive which feeds into the Perkin St. bike lanes
Boston DPW
The street is probably clear, but I avoid it when the temperature is below freezing because I have a hard time on the patch of slick ice which often stretches all of the way across the road at the intersection with Perkins St.
Perkins St. Bike Lanes
1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Still mostly covered by snow Friday night.
Olmsted Park Paths
3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road, across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.
Brookline Park Department
Plowed
Brookline Ave. Path
Mixed-use path from Riverway ramp to Riverway intersection
Brookline Park Department
Bare pavement except unplowed ramps to Aspinwall intersection.
Parkway and Netherlands Rd. Contraflow bike lanes
Two one-block contra-flow lanes plus and contraflow cycle track
Brookline Park Department and DPW
Bike lane clear but cycle track totally unplowed.
Muddy River Path
12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections
Brookline Park Department and DPW
Clear to bare pavement on MOnday morning. Watch for ice after it freezes Monday night.
Brookline Ave. Bike Lanes
From Longwood Ave. to Park Drive Boston Transportation Department
Not checked.
Boston Bike Lanes
Boston Transportation Department

Commonwealth Ave. Bike Lanes Snow piled in westbound bike lane at BU Bridge intersection
N. Harvard St. bike lanes Clear by evening.
Harvard Ave. bike lanes Mostly covered by snow Monday evening
Mass. Ave. buffered bike lanes Partly clear by Wednesday night, but really only OK between river and Beacon St. and across from Christian Science Center when it's grade separated.
Eastbound Sullivan Square buffered bike lanes Not very clear at all from the Somerville line to the Scrafft Center, but east of the rotary to the Everett, the lanes are clear, including on the grating over the narrowed Route 99 bridge over the Mystic River
Everett Bike Routes
Everett Public Works Department

Westbound Sullivan Square cycle track Clear through Everett east of the casino, then unplowed through the rotary, which is probably mostly in Boston.
Beacham St to Chelsea The Everett part of this street through the oil tank farm is in as bad shape as I've ever seen it with more potholes than normal(!) and metal sheets and big trucks. For the first time ever, I took a longer route back from Chelse to Sullivan Square (2nd St. to Rt. 99) to avoid it.
Brookline Bike Lanes
Town of Brookline
Harvard St. clear from Allston to Brookline Village. Cypress and Chestnut St. not as clear to Jamaica Pond.
B. U. Bridge Bike Lanes
Boston to Cambridge Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By MassDoT
Clear to curb.
B. U. Bridge sidewalks
Boston to Cambridge
Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department or B.U.
Downstream (east) sidewalk clear. Upstream (west) sidewalk Boston approach packed snow, but clear from Storrow Drive bridge to Memorial Drive.
Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge bike lanes
Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
Clear by Wednesday night.
Longfellow Bridge bike lane
Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Plowed By Mass. Highway Department
Not checked
Charles River Bikepaths
Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Plowed wide all of the way from the BU Bridge to Hawthorn St. light. Longfellow park sidewalk was plowed Tuesday. Boston side from Weeks Footbridge to N. Harvard St. plowed narrower than Cambridge side.
John Allen reported on Thursday about upstream conditions: As of Tuesday, Riverwalk (Charles River Greenway) between Moody Street and Prospect Street, Waltham: not plowed, 12 inches of snow cover. Mt. Feake Cemetery -- continuation of route between downtown Waltham and Brandeis-Roberts commuter rail station: All roads plowed, clear and dry. Trodden snow where youwalk your bike around the gate at the Brandeis end. Brandeis University: All paths plowed and clear. Some snowmelt which could form black ice if it freezes. Gray (easy to miss) bollards at path intersectiosn with paths have been removed to enable plowing.
J.F.K. Park
Wide, shared bike-ped path from river to Harvard Square
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Plowed clear.
Western Ave. Cycletrack
Cambridge Cambridge DPW
Not checked.
Lincoln St. to Cambridge St. MassPike Bridge
Bike/Ped connection from Harvard Square to Allston's Harvard Ave. district via Franklin St.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Totally clear by Monday evening.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath
Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections
Department of Conservation and Recreation
I got off the Orange Line early to bike from Green St. to Forest Hills on Friday night and found the path very clear except for a few small shallow frozen puddles.
South Bay Harbor Trail
Bike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel to the Southwest Corridor
City of Boston
Not checked yet.
Neponset Trail
Mostly paved Bike/Ped path
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Plowed by Wednesday night from Port Norfolk to Mattapan Square with a few icy patches.
Cambridge Bike Lanes
Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets
City of Cambridge
Parking-protected lanes around Harvard Square were fairly clear, but Mass. Ave. protected lanes from Main St. to the river had some bad stretches. Otheri bike lanes were often under snow or parked cars.
Vassar St. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Main St. to Memorial Drive (almost)
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet.
Brattle St. "Cycle Track"
Parking-buffered bike lanes between Brattle Square and Mason St.
City of Cambridge
Clear enough for two bikes to pass, but not plowed to full width
Mass. Ave. Cycle Track
Parking-buffered bike lanes outbound before and after Harvard Square
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet, but they were clear after the last storm
Flagstaff Park Bike Path
Short bikelane to route outbound bikes and pedestrians past 3-way split of northbound Mass. Ave. and Broadway. City of Cambridge
Clear after the last storm.
Green St./Franklin St. Bicycle Boulevard
Narrow one-way streets parallel to Mass. Ave. from Central Square to Harvard Square
City of Cambridge
Not checked, but these streets are often less plowed after big storms like this.
Beacon St. Cycle Track
Parking-separated path from Park St. to Oxford St.
City of Somerville
No report yet.
Somerville Community Path
Wide rail trail from Davis Square to Cedar St.
City of Somerville
Not checked yet
Mystic River Paths
A variety of paths in East Somerville and Malden
Mostly DCR
Not checked yet.
Red Line Linear Park Path
Alewife MBTA station to Davis Square over Red Line
City of Cambridge City of Somerville
Not checked yet
Danehy Park Paths
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet, but probably fairly clear.
Fresh Pond Bike Path
Parallel to Fresh Pond Parkway in Kingsley Park
City of Cambridge
Not checked yet.
Alewife Brook Trail
DCR
Boardwalk sections aren't plowed. No report on the rest.
Fitchburg Cutoff Trail
DCR
Not checked yet.
Concord Ave. Cycle Track
Buffered bike lanes from Belmont to Fresh Pond Parkway
City of Cambridge
Not checked
Alewife Parkway Bridge Sidewalk
Connection from Minuteman Bikepath to Fresh Pond and beyond
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Minuteman "Commuter Bikeway"

Towns of Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford
No report yet
Watertown Bike Path

Town of Watertown
Not checked yet.
Upper Charles Reservation
Watertown, Newton, Waltham
4+ miles of paved and unpaved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet
Newton Bike Lanes
City of Newton
Not checked yet.
Medford Bike Lanes
Town of Medford
Not checked yet.
Revere Beach Reservation
Revere
Shared use paths (or very wide sidewalks)
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Northern Strand Community Trail
Everett and Malden
Shared use path
Everett and Malden DPW
Wellington Greenway
Malden
Shared use path
Malden DPW
Stony Brook Reservation
Hyde Park
4+ miles of paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me. There are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the reservation which are probably clear. After this snowfall, the paths should be pretty bikable, though there will be ice.
Former Metropolitan State Hospital
Belmont, Waltham
paved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation
Not checked yet.
Assabet River Rail Trail
Hudson and Marlborough, so far
Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough (so far)
Not checked yet.
Northampton Bikeway
East-west across the City of Northampton
City of Northampton
Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, has reported that it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm. If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes 10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.
Norwottuck Rail Trail
Northampton to Amherst
Department of Conservation and Recreation
No report.