In 2025, we look forward to lots of exciting progress along the Mystic Greenways. Many projects, aimed at creating safe and accessible routes for walking, biking, rolling, and exploring, are currently scheduled to open or be ready for construction before the year ends. These improvements represent nearly $70 million in public investment toward connecting people to places, nature, and each other. Here are some of the ones that we are most excited about.
Little Mystic Channel (Charlestown)
New tree plantings, benches, and other amenities at the Little Mystic Plaza. Photo: Karl Alexander
A new plaza at the Little Mystic Channel in Charlestown is being completed this winter and will have its grand opening in May. This new waterfront park replaces old cracked asphalt with green space, trees, shade, and benches, providing better opportunities for recreation, access to nature, and climate resiliency for the surrounding community.
Furthermore, the Boston Harborwalk extension at the Little Mystic Channel is scheduled to be fully permitted and ready for construction by the end of 2025, adding an important link to the nearly 43 continuous miles of linear park along Boston’s shoreline.
Malden River Works (Malden)
Rendering of designed paths for river access at Malden River Works. Credit: Landing Studio
Construction at Malden River Works is expected to commence in Spring 2025 and will continue through 2026. The project brings together a coalition of community leaders of color, environmental advocates, and government stakeholders working to achieve a common goal: to create a climate-resilient waterfront park on the Malden River for all. In 2024, Malden River Works received a grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for $3.5M, fully funding the project. Malden River Works has set the bar for community-led projects centering social justice and climate equity.
Clippership Connector (Medford)
The Clippership Connector path is on track to be completed by the summer of 2025. This half-mile greenway link on the Mystic River’s north bank is a critical segment that will connect more than 10 miles of contiguous greenways and provide a safe and scenic route between Medford Square, Andrew/McGlynn Schools and Riverbend Park.
Blessing of the Bay Greenway (Somerville)
Rendering of the proposed boardwalk at Blessing of the Bay Park. Credit: Offshoots Productive Landscapes, LLC
The new Blessing of the Bay Greenway will be construction-ready in 2025. The result of a community-led visioning process, this project will provide a corridor of open space linking diverse natural, cultural, and scenic resources at Blessing of the Bay Park along Shore Drive in Somerville, improving community safety, accessibility, and green infrastructure.
Improvements at Blessing of the Bay have been ongoing. In 2024, we worked to remove invasive plants and overgrowth along the shoreline and to incorporate native plantings.
Draw Seven State Park (Somerville)
Construction at Draw Seven Park is scheduled to begin in 2025. Tucked behind Assembly Row in Somerville, this riverside park has been undergoing a years-long redesign that includes enhanced paths, overlooks, and gathering areas, green infrastructure to manage stormwater, and the installation of a “living shoreline” to protect tidal ecosystems, among other improvements.
Ryan Playground (Charlestown)
On Thursday, December 19, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and local elected officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at Ryan Playground. Located along the shore of the Mystic River in Charlestown, this project will rejuvenate the fields that have served as the longtime home of the Charlestown Little League. The park will feature new play structures, seating, and a fishing spot, as well as provide critical protection from coastal flooding for the Sullivan Square area. Construction is expected to continue through 2025.
Wellington Underpass at Rt. 28 (Medford)
The Wellington Underpass under Route 28 in Medford is expected to be fully permitted and ready for construction in 2025. This project will connect the paths along the Mystic River, specifically Torbert MacDonald Park, Station Landing/Wellington T-Station, and the Wellington Greenway. When built, it will fill a gap in the area’s greenway network, encourage recreation and mobility along the Mystic River, and provide a safe alternative to crossing Route 28 at Wellington Circle.
Mystic Greenways Projects. Click to enlarge
Our Mystic Greenways vision imagines 25 miles of connected paths and parks along the Mystic River and its tributaries. All told there is currently more than $125 million actively invested in the design or construction of greenways projects in the Mystic. These projects will improve hundreds of acres of parklands and engage thousands of community members from the Mystic Lakes to the Boston Harbor.
We look forward to seeing many new parks and paths come to fruition in 2025, all building toward a high-quality network of greenways for active transportation and recreation, enhancing climate resiliency, providing sustainable mobility, and improving physical and mental health outcomes for the more than 600,000 residents of the watershed.
Looking to get out and explore the Mystic River watershed? Visit our website at mysticriver.org/explore to learn more and subscribe to our newsletter to get events and project updates in your inbox.
