Since July, anyone heading from Billerica toward Bedford on foot or by bike has hit fencing. Billerica Public Works posted on July 9, 2026 that construction of the Yankee Doodle Bike Path was underway. Every section inside the active work zone is closed to the public, and the zone runs "from the Concord Road and Middlesex Turnpike access points to the Bedford town line." A few days later, Bedford's Department of Public Works confirmed in The Bedford Citizen that the Billerica end of the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail is now closed at the town line.
This fencing marks the beginning of a 10-foot paved connection that the state describes as linking Billerica's town center to the Minuteman Bikeway by way of Bedford. The town's current work schedule shows crews spending this fall near Route 3 and along Technology Park Drive. Both project timelines place the opening in 2028.
What the fencing is protecting
MassDOT lists Phase 1 of the Yankee Doodle Bike Path as a 10-foot multi-use path that starts at Billerica High School, ends at the Bedford line, and connects there with Bedford's Narrow Gauge Rail Trail. Its project page gives the length as about 3.9 miles and records a Notice to Proceed dated February 13, 2026. The state awarded the construction contract to Barletta Heavy Division Inc. on January 27, 2026, for $17,395,243.
MassDOT's own documents give two different lengths. The construction presentation to the MassDOT Board on December 3, 2025, puts Phase 1 at about 2.7 miles. The town's July closure notice starts the active limits at Concord Road and Middlesex Turnpike rather than at the high school. The work now underway is concentrated on the eastern half of the route, between Concord Road and Bedford, which is the stretch that makes the link to the Minuteman possible.
The 2019 design that the town and MassDOT presented at a public hearing traces that eastern stretch in order. From the Concord Road crossing at Middlesex Turnpike, the path runs along the edge of the parking lot for the Federal Street business park, follows the former railroad alignment to Route 3, and crosses the highway on the existing Orchard Road bridge. It then runs beside Technology Park Drive, returns to the rail alignment across Springs Road, and meets the Narrow Gauge at the Bedford town line. That hearing plan was a proposal. It shows the intended route but does not confirm how the path is being built.
Where crews are working through November 1
The town posts a contractor look-ahead schedule covering September 21 through November 1, 2026. Nearly all of the activity on it falls into three zones, all east of Concord Road.
Route 3 work zone. Barletta crews are stripping and stockpiling topsoil and grading for the path's subbase between Middlesex Turnpike and Route 3. Keller is installing micropiles for a bridge listed as B-12-027, and Algar is forming and pouring the pile caps. Drainage work, including catch basin extensions and a test pit for a 48-inch culvert at a retaining wall, is also on the schedule.
Orchard Road and Middlesex Turnpike. National Grid has electric work listed on Orchard Road and on Middlesex Turnpike, the latter "with tree removal." Verizon has work listed on Orchard Road.
Technology Park Drive, Springs Road and Astrig Way. This zone is furthest along. The schedule lists excavation and subgrade for the shared-use path, new catch basins, a hydrant relocation, granite edging by K. DaPonte, light poles and flashing beacon power by Dagle, and intermediate course paving of the path by Pacella.
Wetland planting is on a deadline. The schedule sets a planting season of September 1 to October 15 for a wetland replication area and for bordering land subject to flooding, with M.O.N. Landscaping assigned to the work. That planting window closes next week. Most of the listed activities are weekday shifts.
The paving and beacon work on Technology Park Drive will be the first part of the new path visible from the road. The flashing beacons fit the 2019 plan, which listed four at-grade road crossings for the path:
- River Street, west of Parker Street
- Concord Road at Middlesex Turnpike
- Technology Park Drive, west of Wall Street
- Spring Road at Astrig Way
Two of those four crossings are in the zone being paved and wired this month.
Why the fencing is likely to stay up for two more seasons
The two timelines in public view do not agree on a finish date. Neither one predicts an opening in 2027.
| Milestone | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contract awarded to Barletta Heavy Division | January 27, 2026 | COMMBUYS award record |
| Notice to Proceed, Phase 1 | February 13, 2026 | MassDOT project page |
| Corridor closed to the public | Posted July 9, 2026 | Billerica Public Works |
| Anticipated Phase 1 completion | Summer 2028 | MassDOT Board presentation, December 2025 |
| Expected completion | November 2028 | Bedford DPW, July 2026 |
| Phase 2 construction start | Summer 2030 | MassDOT project record |
The December 2025 presentation planned about 2.7 years of work. The more recent Bedford estimate, published July 14, 2026, pushes the end date to November 2028. As of October 2026, both are projections. Either way, the Bedford-line closure is likely to last through the 2027 riding season and much or all of 2028.
Phase 2 comes after that. MassDOT lists it in preliminary design, with construction beginning in Summer 2030, and its record does not yet specify the route limits.
People looking for project updates should be aware that the Friends of the Yankee Doodle Bike Path website's "Current Timeline" page stops at October 2019. The Town of Billerica project page and the posted look-ahead schedules are the most current public record. We found no ribbon cutting, cleanup day or public walk-through on any calendar for this fall. That fits a project at the micropile and subgrade stage.
Where Billerica can walk and ride until 2028
With the Bedford connection closed, the nearest options are wooded loops rather than a paved commuter line. Each has its own rules about access.
Warren H. Manning State Forest. The town's trail brochure describes a 1.35-mile full loop, a fitness circuit, a storybook trail, picnic areas and mountain biking. The entrance is off Chelmsford Road, Route 129. The same brochure says the parking lot is available April through the end of November and lists a $5 daily or $50 seasonal fee. The brochure carries no date, so check the fees before you go. If the November lot season still holds, the Manning lot has about seven weeks of availability left this year. DCR lists Manning at 201 acres.
Billerica State Forest, Gilson Hill and Rangeway Town Forest. These lands are open sunrise to sunset for uses including hiking and mountain biking, with access from Rangeway Road. Rangeway Town Forest is town-owned and managed by the Conservation Commission. The nearby McDonald Knowles Conservation Land is town-owned forested wetland, described in the brochure as good for bird-watching and nature study. None of the three has a designated parking lot. The town's brochure says they are most easily reached on foot or by bike. On a bike, that makes these forests the closest stand-in for the closed path that requires no driving.
Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle. For a longer outing, DCR describes the park as having more than 20 miles of trails. It also has one confirmed fall event. DCR's Fall 2026 Universal Access schedule lists an adaptive small-group hike on Saturday, November 14, 2026. Preregistration is required, and the group meets at the main parking lot off North Road near the barn and ice cream stand.
When Phase 1 opens, the paved stretch along Technology Park Drive will connect through Bedford to the Narrow Gauge and the Minuteman Bikeway. Until then, the forests off Rangeway Road and Chelmsford Road are the closest places to ride.
At Plunkett Properties, we've worked in Billerica and the surrounding towns for more than 30 years and follow projects like this because they change how people get around town. If you have questions about how the Yankee Doodle Bike Path route relates to a Billerica street or property you care about, please contact us.
