Cedarwood Road

Cedarwood Road runs about 600 feet north from Briarwood Avenue to Sycamore Lane in the River Pines neighborhood, between Greenwood Road and Fernwood Road.

The plan of River Pines, Unit 1, drawn by R. F. Smith, surveyor, of Boston Road, Billerica, in May 1927 and recorded in October 1927 (Plan Book 51, Plan 10) shows "Cedarwood Rd.," 40 feet wide, running north from Briarwood Avenue for one block of 25-foot cottage lots to a one-foot reserve strip at the edge of the unit. In the plan of Unit 5, drawn by Smith in May 1928 and recorded in June 1928 (Plan Book 52, Plan 7) it was carried north to Rogers Avenue, the street now called Sycamore Lane, and on that plan it continued past Rogers Avenue between two more blocks of lots to Basswood Avenue. No street was opened on that northern part, and the road ends at Sycamore Lane. Cedarwood is one of the tree names ending in "wood" used throughout River Pines; the plans do not explain it, and no record found says who chose it.

The town records of the 1950s call it "Cedarwood Street." An article of the 1953 warrant asked the town to accept "Cedarwood Street, River Pines, from Briarwood Avenue to Rogers Avenue about 600 feet, as a town way" and to spend $400 to improve it. The motion was debated at the session of March 21, 1953, when a count found the meeting one voter short of a quorum, and it was voted at the adjourned meeting of March 28, 1953. The town's list of accepted streets printed in 1956 gives "Cedarwood St. -- From Briarwood Ave. to Rogers Ave. 600 ft." with the date of the opening session, March 14, 1953. The houses now standing on the road are dated by the assessor from 1961 on. Cedarwood Road was hot-topped in 1977 and crack sealed in 2018.

References

1. Annual Report 1952: warrant Articles 91-92, accept Cedarwood Street, River Pines, Briarwood Avenue to Rogers Avenue, 600 feet
2. Annual Report 1953: town meeting of March 21, 1953, Article 91 debated; meeting adjourned for want of a quorum
3. Annual Report 1953: adjourned town meeting of March 28, 1953 accepts Cedarwood Street and votes $400 to improve it
4. Annual Report 1956: list of streets accepted, "Cedarwood St. -- From Briarwood Ave. to Rogers Ave. 600 ft. 3-14-53"
5. Annual Report 1977: streets hot topped with bituminous concrete incl. Cedarwood Road
6. Annual Report 2018: roads crack sealed incl. Cedarwood Road