Opportunity for advocacy
The next step in the $91 million Muddy River Flood Control, Water Quality, Habitat Enhancement, and Historic Restoration Project is the necessity of a two thirds Town Meeting vote on November 17 for bonding funds for the restoration of the Carlton Street Foot Bridge in Brookline.

Bridge restoration is a critical component of the Project and a condition of the release of the $24 million from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Environmental Bond. Last week both the Brookline Advisory Committee and Board of Selectmen voted to unanimously support Warrant Article Five: appropriation for the Carlton Street Footbridge restoration. Will you call as many of your Town Meeting members (there are 15 in your precinct) as you can, or especially any you know, and ask them to vote in the AFFIRMATIVE for Warrant Article Five without further amendments. Click here for a list of Town Meeting Members. Call us at 617-277-4777 for more information.

 

In 1890, Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of American landscape architecture, designed the six-mile-long Emerald Necklace, America’s first park system. The footbridge and path design at Carlton Street was intended to link the “neighboring streets” to the Park.

The bridge was designed by Alexis French, Olmsted’s collaborator in the design of Riverway and Olmsted Parks and Brookline’s first Town Engineer. The single-span steel truss bridge provides access between Brookline’s historic Longwood/Cottage Farm neighborhoods and the Riverway Park section of the Emerald Necklace.

Historic photo (c. 1912) from Brookline archives, shows the footbridge shortly after construction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governor Michael Dukakis urges support for the Muddy River Restoration Project. Click here.

Fall Town Meeting will consider a warrant article to authorize the repair of the Carlton Street bridge. To learn more download the pdf of the article.

Carlton Street entrance to the park has been closed for over 30 years.