BOSTON CELEBRATES AS THE ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY GREENWAY NEARS OPENING

WHDH-TV/DT Boston

BOSTON -- Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, known as the matriarch of her family's political dynasty, would have turned 117 years old today.

And Boston held a fitting celebration to mark the final phase of a series of park projects in her honor.

It was a party decades in the making.

After decades of traffic and years of construction, the Greenway is finally starting to look green.

Trellises have been put up. Bushes and flowers have been put together. And the area is becoming accessible.

Mayor Menino joined crowds at Christopher Columbus Park to help celebrate the final phase of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

And Menino reminded the crowd it hasn't been easy. "It takes everyone working together to make this happen," he said.

The idea to replace a mile of metal and traffic with a series of relaxing parks was first mentioned in the 1970s.

But plans weren't finalized until a few years ago.

Now more than 30 years and 1,300 newly planted trees later, the time has finally come.

The first park will open in Chinatown in August. Then just after Labor Day, more parks will open near the North End. The largest section, spanning five acres in the Wharf District, will follow later this fall.

More than $16.5 million has been raised for events and maintenance. But city officials haven't decided which agency will be responsible for things like picking up the trash, patching holes in the grass and fixing broken benches.

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Contact:

Nancy Brennan
Rose Fitzgerald Kenney Greenway Conservancy
617-292-0020
info@rosekennedygreenway.org