Folks linger after this morning’s official ribbon cutting for the Lower Falls pedestrian bridge. A large crowd of luminaries and others gathered to cut the ribbon and congratulate State Rep. Kay Khan on her dogged persistence and vision getting the bridge built. (You’ll have to go read the TAB article for a picture of the ribbon cutting itself. I was invited to stand with the snippers; I’m the orange blob behind Setti. Did I mention my award for my efforts on the project?)
Having never been to an event like this, my initial response: “All these people*, just for a dinky little bridge?” Upon reflection, the attention seems entirely appropriate. While it is ultimately a very local amenity, it’s the kind of amenity — an off-road path that connects the neighborhood to the calm and beauty of the Charles — that the city and region need more of. It’s really a little gem.
Which is why people hung out after the ceremony. It’s really peaceful.
More pictures after the jump
*One Lieutenant Governor (the Governor was scheduled, then had to cancel), one Mayor (ours), one Selectman (Wellesley’s), two state reps (Kay and her Wellesley counterpart), a host of state administration officials, cheeses from 1000 Commonwealth Ave., and on and on.
Here’s a video from Patch…
This is great.
I’ve been using the bridge occasionally before its official opening (it had already been completed), to cross into Newton Lower Falls with my bicycle.
I hope all the people who were so opposed to the bridge project at first, will end up wondering whatever the fuss was about. Or better yet, maybe they’ll become proponents of these sorts of projects elsewhere in the city to make our community more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
How soon before the ‘Motorized bicycles, motor scooters, or motorcycles need not traverse’ sign goes up??
BTW, did you catch Lt. Gov Murray’s scissors malfunction in the first few seconds of the video. Fun to watch him pretend all went well. (And what did he bend to pickup?)