Canton Viaduct - Current Events

Current Events

• The Canton Viaduct celebrated its 175th anniversary (demisemiseptcentennial or quartoseptcentennial) on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. A committee was established in 2009 with members of the Canton Historical Commission and Canton Public Library Trustees to plan the anniversary celebration. Ideas for the event include:
  • A lecture program where a panel of speakers discuss the viaduct's historical importance.
  • Blue Hill Lodge in Canton, Massachusetts is sponsoring a Masonic memorial in Canton Viaduct Park in honor of the viaduct builders. The memorial will consist of an 8' tall granite obelisk which will serve as a sundial and contain a time capsule beneath it to be opened on the Canton Viaduct's 300th anniversary in 2135.
• Scale models and a computer-generated 3D model are currently (2010) being developed to show each step in the construction of the Canton Viaduct and each renovation.
• In 2009 a proposal was made for the installation of webcams on both sides of the viaduct. The east side webcam will capture truck/viaduct collisions and avoidance measures. The west side webcam will look south and include the waterfall and passing trains.
• Borderland State Park is open to the public and offers the free program, "How Borderland Helped To Build The Canton Viaduct" which includes tours of Moyles Quarry (a.k.a. Canton Viaduct Quarry) and lectures on Canton Viaduct with video.
• A 2009 article in the Canton Citizen states, "The state has narrowed the field of five alternatives to expand commuter rail service from Boston to Fall River and New Bedford down to three options — and one of them includes additional trains through Canton and Stoughton. Kristina Egan of the state’s Executive Office of Transportation told selectmen Tuesday night that another option, which involves expanding rail service from Readville through Canton Junction to Attleboro, will likely not be approved due to its estimated price tag of $2 billion. Egan said that expansion would have added 38 new trains through the Canton station, as well as a new 700-foot bridge next to the historic Canton Viaduct." Engineers conducted a survey of the viaduct area in March 2009.
• Local health officials are considering posting fish consumption warning signs at Canton Viaduct Falls.
• A violation of the Architectural Access Board's order to post signage at the viaduct is currently (2009) being investigated.
• A formal ADA complaint was filed in October 2009 and is being reviewed by the United States Department of Justice.

In June 2004 the town of Canton developed a Master Plan that identifies what should be preserved and enhanced to meet evolving needs and improve the quality of life. Items from the Master Plan related to Canton Viaduct include:

• Create the Viaduct Revitalization District.
• Incorporate elements of Canton’s history into school curriculum such as the viaduct to be documented and studied.
• Existing cultural and historic resources and activities should be more heavily promoted and more events should be considered.
• Develop the Canton Riverfront Trail for pedestrians and bicycles adjacent to the viaduct and increase river access. This trail could connect with the Warner Trail.
• The former Plymouth Rubber site would be redeveloped and in doing so preserve scenic views of the viaduct.
• Due to the "stuck truck in the viaduct" problem, add signs on approaches to the viaduct directing truck traffic to/from the town center to use Chapman St. as a by-pass route.
• Explore an additional connection through the viaduct to the town center via Revere St. large enough to accommodate truck traffic to/from the town center.
• Include the viaduct in Canton’s Historic Resources Inventory, Historic Preservation Plan and a Historic District.
• Develop wayside exhibits and other educational materials and methods to explain the history of the viaduct.
• Build a museum of Paul Revere’s Copper Rolling Mill and surrounding area.

Some of these items have been implemented and others are in the planning stages.