Save The Harbor Save The Bay Honors South Bay Harbor Trail Coalition

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay bestowed its annual Boston Harbor Heroes awards at a gala evening held in the grand ballroom of the Seaport Hotel on March 29, 2018. Among others, the South Bay Harbor Trail Coalition was honored for its "vision, tenacity and commitment to connecting Boston's neighborhoods to Boston Harbor and each other." 

Under the leadership of coalition founder, Michael Tyrrell, the team of David Giangrande, Christina Lanzl, Ann McQueen, Tom Parks, the late Bill Pressley and his wife Marion, Candelaria Silva and Bob Wells envisioned the South Bay Harbor Trail (SBHT) ​as part of a larger trail network that connects the Southwest Corridor Park from Jamaica Plain to the Boston Harborwalk downtown and in South Boston. 

Buoys salvaged and reconditioned by the US Coast Guard serve as markers and a playful reminder of Boston's rich maritime history. The main goal is to reconnect communities divided by major traffic arteries via an easily accessible, multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path. The first of a series of SBHT Buoys was dedicated along the Harborwalk in Fort Point in November 2008. Funding for public art planning along the trail was provided by the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund of the City of Boston. Other funders include the ISTEA program, MassDOT, the New England Foundation for the Arts as well as private donors. 

Overall construction of the South Boston Harbor Trail is underway as of spring 2018.

Related Posts

South Bay Harbor Trail Meeting Wednesday Night

The  Boston Transportation Department will be holding an informational meeting on the South Bay Harbor Trail on: 

Wednesday, August 9, 2017
6:30 pm

Mass Bay Credit Union

147 W 4th Street

South Boston, MA 02127

This meeting will focus on the progress we have made based on the comments received at the previous meeting. All are welcome to attend. 

For more information on the South Bay Harbor Trail click here.

Fort Point Outdoors

From the extension of the South Bay Harbor Trail to a walking tour of Fort Point to Love Your Block Fort Point Style to SUP Yoga, there are many opportunities to be part of the great outdoors this week. Don't miss next week's Mayor's Coffee Hour celebrating the A Street Park Acceptance as the first City Park in Fort Point. Details below: 

Last Friday, over sixty employees from more than a dozen companies planted flowers in Fort Point starting a living tapestry for all to enjoy in time for last weekend's Fort Point Art Walk. This Saturday is the residential neighbors' 
opportunity to finish what they started. Come help create outdoor beauty by volunteering with your neighbors and planting flowers at the Fort Point Neighborhood Association's thirteenth annual beautification event: 

Love Your Block Residents Volunteer Day
Saturday, May 20, 2107 

10 am - 3 pm (Welcome anytime)

Wormwood Park

Wormwood & A Streets

More Details & To Sign Up

Thank you party at Wormwood Park at 5pm.

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga opening weekend at Fort Point Pier (P&G Gillette dock) on Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 11 am - 12:30 pm. Increase focus & concentration. Increase balance & core strength. Connect with nature. Challenge your practice with SUP YO! Limited space. Register.

Join Mayor Walsh and Commissioner Cook of the Boston Parks & Recreation Department to celebrate A Street Park's induction into City park land at:

Mayor's Coffee Hour
A Street Park Acceptance
Tuesday, May 23, 2017

9:30 am - 10:30 am

A Street Park (adjacent to One Channel Center Garage)

The A Street Park will become the first City Park in Fort Point. All participants will enjoy free coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin' Donuts, fresh fruit from Whole Foods Market and a plant for your family.  


MassDot invited the public to be part of the discussion of the design and construction of the South Bay Harbor Trail on:
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
6:30 pm
Mass Bay Credit Union
147 W 4th Street
South Boston, MA 02127

The proposed project extends the existing South Bay Harbor Trail shared use path behind Gillette to Dorchester Avenue, including Traveler St. and West 4th Street to Albany Road at Union Park Street. The total approximate project length is 0.85 miles. A secure right-of- way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The City of Boston is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this hearing. 

What is happening with the South Bay Harbor Trail Public Art Initiative, wayfinding signage, buoys and historic markers? 

Written comments may be submitted to Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Roadway Project Management, Project File No. 604761.Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us


In celebration of historic preservation month, Boston by Foot hosted a special walking tour of Fort Point on Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 6 pm - 7:30 pm. The tour will focus on the Channel itself from how it came to be through the activities of the Boston Wharf Company, South Station development, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, and recent activation efforts. It will feature the workings of its three remaining historic bridges, plus the memories of the Mt. Washington, the rolling bridges at South Station, and the ambitious cofferdam. The tour starts at James Hook, 440 Atlantic Avenue (corner of Atlantic & Seaport Boulevard). Tickets are $15. More details.

originally published 5.15.17

South Bay Harbor Trail: South Boston to South End

The City of Boston Transportation Department will host a public meeting on the long-awaited extension of the South Bay Harbor Trail from the Harborwalk near P&G Gillette to Albany Street in the South End on: 

Thursday. January 26, 2017

6 pm

Mass Bay Credit Union

147 W 4th St (at A Street)

The City of Boston has secured funding to design and construct this portion of the South Bay Harbor Trail,  The entire Trail will connect Boston neighborhoods to the waterfront and be completed in stages. The walk and bike friendly route will go through South Boston, South End and Roxbury. 

At this meeting the City will share the latest plans, solicit feedback, and share next steps for the project. The design for this section is expected to be completed in 2017 with construction beginning in 2018.

Harbor Trail Launched

The South Bay Harbor Trail was officially launched in a ceremony on Fort Point Channel. Photos from the event, including our own Mike Tyrrell with Mayor Menino:



As many people know, Mike is the founder of the South Bay Harbor Trail Coalition and was the spark that made the trail happen. Many thanks to him, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, Mayor Menino, Gillette/P&G, and everyone else who worked hard to make this project a reality.

The trail is a bike trail marked by recycled, red-and-white buoys which starts at Ruggles Station, goes through the South End, over the Broadway St. bridge, down Fort Point Channel, and out to fan pier (click map to enlarge):



The Globe had coverage of the event:

Work on South Bay Harbor Trail is launched
Bike, pedestrian path intended to open waterfront
By Christina Pazzanese Globe Correspondent / November 8, 2008

City and state officials marked the formal launch of work on a new bicycle and pedestrian pathway yesterday designed to open Boston's waterfront to formerly landlocked neighborhoods.

Organizers say the 3.5-mile South Bay Harbor Trail will link inland areas such as Roxbury, Chinatown, and the South End to the waterways of Fort Point Channel and the Seaport district by Fan Pier. It will also serve as a much-needed recreational connection for cyclists and pedestrians downtown to get from the Rose Kennedy Greenway to the Arnold Arboretum and the Emerald Necklace, they say.

In the planning stages since 2001, the project was led by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, a nonprofit advocacy group, and was developed in conjunction with the city and state, said Patricia A. Foley, president of Save the Harbor.

Read full article on Boston.com...