MILTON — Residents in the Capen Street area of Milton can breathe a little easier now that it has been decided that the proposed extension of the Neponset River Trail will not pass through their neighborhood .
 
State Sen. Brian Joyce, D-Milton, confirmed Monday he has learned that three options involving Capen Street for the multi-use path are no longer being considered.
 
Joyce said he met with state Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Rick Sullivan last week and was assured that there will be no route extension along Capen Street.
 
“Years ago there was significant opposition from people fearful of a multi-use path,” Joyce said. “This particular neighborhood has a legitimate concern. It would involve significant tree removal and blasting of granite.”
 
Joyce said the DCR has yet to decide the path of the trail extension.
 
“This project will go forward, but it is something that all of us will welcome,” he said.
 
Joyce said he has asked the DCR to also consider a suggestion from former longtime Milton Town Administrator John Cronin, who proposed a route that is safer and has a more user friendly design for bicyclists.
 
Brian O’Mahony of 69 Capen St., who recently circulated a petition among neighbors to gauge their thoughts, said he appreciated the support of selectmen, Joyce and state Rep. Walter Timilty, D-Milton, in opposing the three Capen Street options.
 
“It doesn’t fit,” O’Mahony said. “It would destroy the neighborhood.”
 
A consultant for the DCR led a number of Milton and Boston residents last month on walks through woods along the north and south sides of Neponset River so they could get an up-close look at five options for an extension to the trail.
 
The existing 21/2-mile trail now runs between Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester and Central Avenue in Milton. The planned extension to Blue Hill Avenue will open about 7 miles of trail along the Neponset River, connecting Pope John Paul II Park to the Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park.
 
Capen Street area residents have suggested that bike and walking paths on the Mattapan side of the river would be a better option.
 
Capen Street residents were concerned about losing a natural sound buffer to the nearby MBTA station since some trees would have to be felled to make way for the path.
 
The project is estimated to cost from $3 million to $5 million.
 
Thousands of bikers, in-line skaters, joggers and walkers have used the path since it was first constructed in 2003.