Malden presents revised Spot Pond Brook greenway design; project on state TIP, construction slated for federal FY2029

Ryan O’Malley, Ward 4 city councilor and council president, presented a revised design for a shared-use path along Spot Pond Brook that would connect Quaternary Park through downtown Malden to the Northern Strand Trail and the MBTA station. He said the project is on the state Transportation Improvement Program and “our project is looking to cost around $4,800,000.”

The revised design — developed after a 2020–21 feasibility study and multiple public meetings — aims to build an 11-foot shared-use path in many locations, narrower 8-foot sections where right-of-way is constrained, and green buffers where space permits. Amy Archer, an engineering consultant on the project, said the plan tries “to keep some of the existing infrastructure” and that the team seeks “the construction of an 11 foot shared use path that would replace 1 sidewalk.”

Why it matters: the route would provide a continuous, ADA‑compliant pedestrian and bicycle link from the park through Dartmouth, Middlesex and Charles streets to Canal Street and the Northern Strand Trail, with design features intended to reduce user conflict and improve crossings. City staff and consultants stressed that the project would not remove travel lanes and said there…