Linear Park, located in North Cambridge between Alewife Station and the Cambridge-Somerville city line, is a popular open space corridor for commuting and recreation. Linear Park between the Russell Field Fieldhouse and the Cambridge-Somerville city line is scheduled for reconstruction beginning in September 2025.
Key Park Upgrades Include:
- Wider, newly paved path built to meet City and National Standards.
- Secondary paths
- Electrical conduit, lighting, and irrigation systems
- Emergency call boxes
- Community connections at the Alewife Park development and at Westley Ave
- A raised crossing at Harvey Street
- Extensive planting, including more than 100 new trees.
- Benches, drinking fountains, play spaces, public art, and bike racks
To read more about the redesign and community process visit: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/LinearParkRedesign
December 2025:
Week of December 1
Continue conduit and pullbox installation
Week of December 8
Continue conduit and pullbox installation
Start drain work where possible
Week of December 15
Installation of light pole bases
Continue conduit and pullbox installation
Continue drain work
November 2025:
Week of November 3
Crews will continue installing protective measures, erosion controls and tree pruning. Lighting improvement work may also begin during this period.
Week of November 10
Crews will be working on conduit installation, pullbox installation, drain installation.
Week of November 17
Crew on site to complete the conduit installation, pullbox installation, drain installation. Crews to be working from Russell Field to Harvey and from Harvey to Cedar, with the possibility of working from Cameron to Somerville Line.
Week of November 24 (There will be no work on Thursday, November 27 or Friday, November 28, Thanksgiving Holiday)
Conduit installation, pullbox installation, drain installation work continues.
Current Construction at Linear Park
October 2025:
Week of October 20
Crews will begin mobilizing to the site and setting up the construction staging area. This work will include limited activity near the end of Harvey Street to allow equipment access to the path. The path will remain open during this stage.
Week of October 27
The path will be closed to the public as construction begins. Crews will install tree protection fencing, erosion controls, and other environmental protection measures. Work will also begin on improvements related to MBTA emergency access.
Linear Park and multi-use path will close on October 27, 2025.
Starting the week of October 20th, the contractor will deliver supplies, install tree protection, construction fencing, and lay emergency egress paths for the MBTA Red line. Other preparatory work may take place as construction crews' schedules allow.
Construction work will continue through the winter and we will share information early in 2026 about when the park may reopen.
The City of Cambridge can now resume all work on the Linear Park project after a Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction in the Linear Park lawsuit was denied on Friday, September 19.
The goal of the project is to renovate this well-loved park and create a cohesive open space that provides increased access for the community and improved opportunities for passive recreation and leisure, play, enjoyment of the landscape, and a welcoming path for people walking and biking.
The City looks forward to moving forward with plans to enhance the park and more effectively support the needs and interests of our community.
The City will be working with the contractor to confirm an updated schedule now that the work can resume and will make every effort to temporarily reopen the path once the base layer of pavement has been installed.
October 27, 2025: Linear Path between the Russell Fieldhouse and the Cambridge-Somerville City line will be closed.
The City has made adjustments to accommodate those who would normally travel through Linear Park. You can choose a detour route that best fits your starting point and destination based on the detailed maps below.
Linear Park Detour Routes
Bicyclists traveling from the Russell Field area east towards Davis Square can use the following signed detour route:
- East on Dudley St – the one block of Dudley St from Cedar St to Mass Ave will be flow reversed. Starting October 23, 2025, motor vehicles and cyclists will travel towards Mass Ave.
- Left on Mass Ave – Bicyclists can use the pedestrian push button to cross Mass Ave and go north to Cameron Ave.
- Right on Cameron Ave.
- Right on Holland St.
- Right on Thorndike St.
- Then rejoin Linear Park / Community Path at the Thorndike St entrance in Somerville.
Bicyclists traveling from the Davis Square area west towards Alewife Station can use the following signed detour route:
- Turn left off the Somerville Community path onto Thorndike St.
- Right onto Kingston St.
- Continue straight onto Shea Rd – Shea Rd will have parking temporarily restricted on the north side to create a contraflow bike lane. Cones will be in place to create dedicated street space for bicyclists.
- Right on Mass Ave – Bicyclists can either utilize the green painted area on Cameron Ave, or travel across the north bound lanes and utilize the left-hand turn lane shared with motor vehicles.
- Left on Harvey St.
- Left on Clifton St.
- Right at the intersection of Dudley St and Russell Field to rejoin Linear Park at Russell Field and access Rindge Ave, the Minuteman Path, or the Fitchburg Cut Off path.
Pedestrians traveling east or west between the Russell Field area and Davis Square can use Dudley St, the Mass Ave pedestrian push button crossing, Shea Rd, Kingston St, and Thorndike St.
Pedestrians traveling north south in the Whittemore Ave / Clifton St neighborhood can use a signed detour route that travels along the edge of Linear Park, near the dead end of Harvey St, to access Whittemore Ave.
For information about construction:
Kristen Kelleher
Community Relations Manager
617-349-4825
kkelleher@cambridgema.gov
or
Kevin Beuttell
Supervising Landscape Architect
617-349-4830
kbeuttell@cambridgema.gov