Since 2002, the Department of Community Development & Planning has led the development of Peabody’s greenway projects and greenway network. We work closely with our colleagues in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Forestry and Department of Public Services to design and build these projects. The Department is working to make Peabody a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a network of greenways throughout Peabody and connecting to the regional greenway network.
Currently, the City’s greenway network consists of three distinct greenway trails, known as the Independence Greenway, Kristen Crowley Trail, and the South Peabody Trail. These greenways connect Peabody neighborhoods, school districts, areas of commerce, and open space areas throughout Peabody. These greenways create better opportunities for an active lifestyle and allow residents to move more freely throughout the City in a safe, efficient, and enjoyable way.
Peabody Independence Greenway: The 4.6-mile paved multi-use Peabody Independence Greenway is the largest greenway in Peabody and currently connects with the area’s regional greenway, known as the Border to Boston Trail, a 70-mile shared-use trail that links approximately 20 communities from New Hampshire border to Boston, as well as the national greenway, known as East Coast Greenway, connecting 15 states and 450 cities and towns for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida.
The Peabody Independence Greenway is made up of two distinct segments in Peabody, the 2.9-mile West Peabody segment, with trailheads located at Lt. Ross Park and Russell Street at the Peabody/Middleton border. This segment of the Independence Greenway allows greenway users to experience many of the City’s conservation and open space resources, such as Norris Brook Watershed area, Crystal Lake Conservation Area, Hoover Street wetlands and Ipswich River Watershed area. This greenway also offers long vistas with spectacular spring and fall colors.
In addition to the West Peabody segment, the Independence Greenway also consists of a 1.7-mile segment, with trailheads located at the Lahey Clinic Parking lot at the North Shore Mall off Essex Center Drive and at Peabody Road. This segment is more heavily populated and parallels a large portion of Lowell Street. Greenway users for this segment experience one of the City’s largest conservation areas, Marble Meadow, as well an opportunity to access an informal nature trail leading to one of Peabody’s old burial cemeteries, Jacobs Cemetery, named after one of Peabody’s Revolutionary War minutemen that fought and died at the Battle of Lexington.
Kristen Crowley Trail: The ¾-mile stone dust path connects with the Danvers Rail Trail. The trailhead is located off Lowell Street at the I-95 underpass.
South Peabody Trail Network: The 1.5-mile South Peabody trail network consists of two trails, the Spring Pond Walking Path and Michael J. Bonfanti Nature Trail. The Spring Pond Walking Path is permeable paved pathway located along lower spring pond and connects several South Peabody neighborhoods and MacArthur Park. The two trails are connected via the city-owned Cedar Grove Cemetery. Granite post trailway markers are located within Cedar Grove Cemetery to navigate trailway users to the two trails. The Michael J. Bonfanti Nature trail is located at Sydney’s Pond Conservation Area. The trail includes a 550-foot boardwalk and viewing platform providing trail users an opportunity to enjoy the areas natural fauna and flora from the elevated nature deck.
It will connect the Lt. Ross Park trailhead to the Kristen Crowley Trailhead as well as the Peabody Road trailhead. This greenway segment will provide a contiguous greenway connection over Route 1 NB/SB lanes as well provide a protected bike lane at the I-95 Underpass on Lowell Street.
The long planned .4-mile Riverwalk is currently in the 100% Design Phase. The Riverwalk will be a 10-foot wide path along the south side of the North River. This project includes new lighting, open space, and includes new stormwater controls to mitigate chronic flooding within the North River Corridor.
The City is currently in the design phase for two Independence Greenway expansion projects, the 1.2-mile Rt. 1 Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge & Lowell Street Connector project, and the 1.4-mile Lahey Clinic/North Shore Mall to Endicott Street Bridge Extension project.
includes a protected multi-use path parallel to Essex Center Drive at the North Shore Mall, protected bike lane at the Route 128 Underpass, and transition to a protected multi-use path parallel to North Shore Road. The greenway will then transition to the city-owned former abandoned rail line along Proctor Brook to the Endicott Street bridge.
The cities of Peabody and Salem have partnered together to connect the two communities expanding greenway networks. The goal for this project is to create a contiguous greenway from downtown Peabody to Salem Commuter Train station for recreational and alternative transportation purposes.
