Cambridge Common Opens After Renovation

On a warm Sunday, Cantabrigians celebrated the reopening of the grassy Cambridge Common park, marking the completion of a construction project that had been in the works for more than 15 years.

More than 40 people gathered to see the newly renovated Common, one of the city’s major parks situated on Massachusetts Avenue across from Harvard Yard. The renovation project planted more than 120 trees in the Common, in addition to installing LED lights, a water fountain, bicycle racks, and benches.

“This is a really special day for us,” Cambridge City Manager Richard C. Rossi said. “We’ve been really trying to get this project funded and completed since the early 1990s.”

The project required more than $6 million in funding to complete, from sources including state and federal transportation funds, according to the program for the park’s opening celebration.

Cambridge Common reopened on June 26 after a large reconstruction project. By Brian P. Yu

“It’s a real thrill to see it all come to fruition now,” Assistant City Manager for Community Development Iram Farooq said during the celebration.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack emphasized the transportation implications for the new Common, saying that the space would allow people to travel through Cambridge more efficiently. The department helped to fund the construction project.

“Thinking comprehensively about how people get around… is a big part of [the department’s] mission,” Pollack said.

More than 10,000 people travel in or around Cambridge Common each day, according to Rossi.

State Representative Marjorie C. Decker also praised the “important safety additions” that came during the construction, such as the two-way path for bikers and pedestrians that was added to the adjacent Flagstaff Park.

“It’s great to have [the Common] renovated,” Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc McGovern said. “It’s great to have it continue to be a place where people can gather, and share ideas, and walk through and enjoy the space in a city that’s ever becoming more dense and crowded.”

—Staff writer Brian P. Yu can be reached at brian.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @brianyu28.