New 3,000-foot floating boardwalk allows visitors to "walk on water" in Massachusetts
MARLBORO – A new floating boardwalk on Lake Williams in Marlboro, Massachusetts is allowing people to see the city like never before.
"Once you step onto the walk it's like 'Oh wow,' because where else can you do this?" Marlboro Mayor Christian Dumais told WBZ-TV. "Knowing that you can actually walk on water."
3,000 foot walk across Lake Williams
The 3,000-foot floating walkway completes the Lake Williams Trail, covering the southern half of the lake near the courthouse and connecting the woodland trail near the Interstate 495 ramps, creating a 2-mile loop.
"Driving by and seeing everyone doing selfies is pretty cool, because you can see it when you're driving by. So people are enjoying it," Dumais said.
The city built the boardwalk using $1.7 million in federal pandemic stimulus money. Dumais said the investment allows people like himself to explore a part of the lake that was, until now, completely inaccessible.
"My childhood, the lake was totally off limits," Dumais said. That's because Lake Williams was once the source of the city's drinking water supply.
"Now it's so much more interesting and fun to be out here and peaceful. It's very peaceful and we've met a lot of people," walker Marcia Fitzgerald told WBZ. She said there's a bounce to it. "It's fun to walk on. It's squishy."
Accessible to all
The boardwalk is accessible to people of all ages and abilities, including those using mobility devices. It's already becoming a tourist destination with walking groups driving to Marlboro to check it out. The attraction also seems to be uniting Marlboro residents who are excited to see their city from a new point of view.
"It makes you feel like the community is coming together," Fitzgerald said.
"Something new, something exciting, something different that other communities don't have. So now, if Marlboro can be a destination for this, then why not?" added Dumais.
Several restrictions still apply to the boardwalk, including no fishing, bicycles or pets. The boardwalk is open seven days a week from dawn to dusk.