Community Path

New Lighting Installed on Either Side of East Somerville MBTA Station 

To provide a safer, more comfortable experience for people using the Community Path after dark, the City installed approximately 2,600 feet (or about half a mile) of light on the Community Path Extension between Walnut Street and Poplar Street on either side of the MBTA's East Somerville Station. 

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Light is delivered by luminaries attached to the bottom of the railing that runs alongside the fence that separates the path from the railway.  

The lights are programmed to automatically turn on at sunset and off at sunrise. The lighting is also dark-sky friendly meaning that it works to minimize light population by directing light downward toward the path itself.  

Community Path Safety Improvements

Somerville’s Community Path Safety Improvement project aims to get a comprehensive understanding of safety concerns and to identify possible improvements along the Community Path The goal is to implement both near-term quick-build improvements and longer-term design options on the path, at key intersections and at the two Green Line station entrances on the path.

From September to October, we will be out on the Community Path to talk to people and hear your ideas on how to make it safer. In the coming weeks, we will also publish a survey and provide opportunities to add comments to a Public Input Map. Keep a lookout for updates at somervillema.gov/communitypathsafety.

Lighting Installation on Segments of the Community Path Extension - Summer 2025

The Community Path Extension was constructed as part of the Green Line Extension. It opened in 2023 and extended the path from the previous endpoint at Lowell Street to East Cambridge near the Lechmere MBTA station.

Several areas along this new section of the path do not currently have lighting in place. To provide a safer, more comfortable experience for people using the path, the City is installing lighting along approximately 2600 feet of the path between Walnut Street and Poplar Street.

This lighting will be installed underneath the existing railings along the path.

This work will begin the week of June 16 and continue through the summer. Any impacts to the path will be shared on this page and through other City channels.

Crossing Improvements at School Street and Lowell Street - In Design

Earlier this year (2025), the City’s Engineering Division hired a design consultant to study the intersections of the community path at both Lowell Street and School Street and propose alternative designs. This work is intended to produce safer, more comfortable crossings and minimize conflicts among people traveling in the area whether they are walking or wheeling, biking, and driving.

In the case of the School Street crossing, the intent is to find suitable design solutions to straighten the double turn maneuver that path users currently must make to navigate the intersection.

An important part of this design process will be coordinating with partners at MassDOT to ensure any conceptual designs work for all parties. Given this necessary coordination, design process involves structural investigation of how potential changes to these crossings may impacts the MassDOT-owned bridges.

Analysis of the current conditions, traffic data, and turning are underway. The project team currently anticipates having more information about this effort to share with the community in late fall 2025.

Community Path (Lowell Street to Central Street) Temporary Detours Now Expected to Begin Fri., Aug. 1 

Update 8/12 - As of this morning, the repair is complete and the path reopened for normal use.

Update 8/8 - Due to challenges in the field, repairs are taking longer than initially anticipated. Our current expectation is that this segment of the path should be reopened by the week of 8/18.

Update 7/30 - Work is now expected to begin on Fri., August 1. Once in place the detour will be in effect for approximately 7 days.

Beginning on Monday, July 28 or soon after, people walking, wheeling, or cycling on the Community Path between Lowell Street and Central Street will be detoured.

This temporary detour (approximately 1 week, weather permitting) will enable contractors to repair a section of damaged concrete along the path between Lowell Street and Somerville’s Junction Park.

Once the detour is in place, it will be in effect 24 hours a day. Community path users and community members are reminded to please use caution while traveling along detour streets in residential neighborhoods.

People biking will be detoured via Central Street and Vernon Street before reconnecting with the path via the accessible ramp at Lowell Street. Pedestrians can use this same detour or choose to travel via Central Street and Albion before reconnecting with the path at Lowell Street. Detour signage will be posted along the route.

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Access Path to East Somerville MBTA Station Closed 7/21, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As part of work to install lighting on unlit sections of the community path extension, City contractors will need to temporarily close the access path to the East Somerville MBTA station.

The station will remain accessible via the ramp at the intersection of Joy Street and Poplar Street and the Community Path. Detour signage will be posted along the route while the closure is in place.

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This closure is expected to be in place for 1 working day. All schedules are subject to change due to weather or other factors.

Temporary Community Path Detours – Week of June 16

As part of work to install lighting on unlit sections of the community path extension, City contractors will need to temporarily close the path at these locations:

• Walnut Street to Cross Street
• East Somerville MBTA Station to Poplar Street

Work will only take place at one location at a time and Each individual closure is expected to last about one day (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Walnut Street to Cross Street Detour Map

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East Somerville MBTA Station to Poplar Street Detour Map

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When it comes to City improvements, everything is connected. Visit the links below to learn more about how we're working to make Somerville safer and more easy to traverse. 

• Mobility Division – Information about ongoing work to make transportation in Somerville safer, more equitable, and sustainable.
• Construction – A look at work going on across the City to improve our public infrastructure