On the Alewife, small flaws hint at things to come

Water has cut lazy curves into the side of the path. View is south, with Mass. Ave. in the background.

Several months after its formal dedication, the Alewife Greenway is already gently aging.

With only one exception, the erosion and other signs of wear and tear are minor and do not interfere with the use or enjoyment of the path.

However, these small signs indicate what will need continual maintenance over time.

In particular, the path’s stone-dust surface is clearly eroding in places that were rebuilt or repaired as recently as August 31.

I walked the whole Greenway at the end of the year to see how things were doing, just before the snow. Come with me for a report.

Bandaid or cure for Alewife erosion?

The eroded Cottage Ave. entryway to the Alewife Greenway gets some TLC on August 31. View is east from Cottage Ave.

Badly needed repairs have restored the Alewife Greenway’s Cottage Ave. entry way but fail to address the underlying problem of rainwater runoff that had eroded the entrance. (Click any photo for a close up.)

The fixes were made as part of a last minute push to get the path in good shape by Labor Day.

Drainage plan

The Alewife-path construction team has a plan to prevent water spilling down Cottage Ave. from eroding the entrance and puddling on the path.

The new plan would direct rainwater around the path into the swales on either side. (Detail.)

Erosion control?

This morning Wayne Chouinard, Arlington’s new Town Engineer, met briefly with me at the Cottage Ave. entrance to the Alewife Greenway Path for a quick tour of the erosion and drainage problems there.

The view East Southeast from Cottage Ave. includes a persistent puddle of water (background) and an eroded cut in the new path (foreground).

The path has been under construction since last July and the entrance is not finished yet.

An erosion of confidence

Rainwater has again washed away parts of the new stone-dust entryway to the Alewife Greenway at Cottage Ave.