Salem and Peabody North River Riverwalk

Background: Through an EPA Brownfield Coalition Assessment Grant, in 2012 Peabody and Salem partnered to complete the Riverwalk Visioning Study, to create a vision for a Riverwalk between the communities along the North River that would create a continuous pedestrian greenspace from Peabody Square to Salem MBTA Commuter Station. Also, since the river is prone to flooding, improvements to this corridor can also create solutions to manage stormwater and reduce flooding. Since the completion of this visioning study, both communities have been building out their multiuse path network to connect neighborhoods, downtown areas, major destinations, and to connect to the regional path network expanding through neighboring communities.

Both communities have built substantial momentum toward developing their greenways city-wide and connecting to Essex County’s regional trail network system. In spring 2019, City staff from Salem and Peabody participated in a Border to Boston Trail workshop discussion to address greenway “gaps” between North Shore communities. The cities were encouraged by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT),the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and the East Coast Greenway Alliance to explore the potential of a multi-use connection parallel to the MBTA rail line. This resulted in the Cities partnering on a grant proposal and securing funding from the Solomon Foundation to hire a consultant to evaluate the feasibility of two potential greenway alignments, provide a recommended preferred alternative alignment, and develop a concept plan to guide the path, design, and eventual connectivity between the two communities.