Charles River Skatepark to Break Ground Next Year

Construction on a long-awaited Charles River Skatepark is set to begin next year, per agreement of the two agencies charged with building it.

The skatepark has been in the works since 2001, when the Charles River Conservancy began planning for it and raising what today totals $2.5 million toward its construction. 

The new park would be the closest park of its kind to the South End. 

This summer the CRC and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation finalized the Memorandum of Agreement governing the construction of the park, which will be in North Point Park in East Cambridge, under the ramps of the Zakim Bridge. After the park is complete, the DCR will operate it.

The park will serve skateboarders, rollerbladers and BMX bikers. Its design was based on the input of hundreds of skaters in the Greater Boston area. The plans will be coordinated with Education First's upcoming project, which includes a waterfront restaurant, according to a DCR press release. 

"We hope the local community and surrounding region share our excitement and vision of this facility as a world-class amenity once it is completed," DCR Commission Edward Lambert Jr. said.