Fells Connector Parkways, Connecting parkways between Mystic River and Middlesex Fells Reservation in Malden and Medford, Massachusetts.
The Fells Connector Parkways system links the Mystic River to the Middlesex Fells Reservation through three main routes: the Fellsway, Fellsway West, and Fellsway East. This network passes through Malden and Medford with wide roads bordered by vegetated strips that soften the driving experience.
The Metropolitan Parks Commission began building these parkways in 1894 to create direct connections between Boston and the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The project was part of a broader movement in New England to make natural areas accessible through planned transportation corridors.
These roads show an early vision of cities where traffic and nature coexist rather than compete. They demonstrate how planners believed transportation corridors could preserve green spaces instead of paving over them.
These routes accommodate multiple types of traffic with clear lanes for cars and space for pedestrians along the edges. Visitors find it easiest to explore them by car, with regular access points connecting to the parks and recreation areas they serve.
The system was designed with wide rights-of-way specifically to preserve natural elements even as traffic moved through them. These green corridors were revolutionary for their era and show early thinking about protecting landscapes during urban expansion.
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