by Neil W. McCabe

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and officials from the office of Everett Mayor David Ragucci will rally support April 24 for the Amelia Earhart Dam crossing by taking boats from their respective shores and meeting in the middle for a brief 1:30 p.m. ceremony.

“We’re determined to get the bridge built and make it part of our revitalized Mystic riverfront,” Curtatone said.

“A centerpiece of our Assembly Square project is the rejuvenation of the parks along the river and the dam is a key part of that effort,” he said. The event is part of a larger effort by the cities and Walk Boston to encourage greater awareness of the watershed.

To demonstrate the need to connect the two riverfronts via the dam, officials from both cities will join in a walk taking alternative routes following both sides of the Mystic River, the mayor said.

“Participants will have to walk 3.5 miles from one end of the dam to the other as opposed the 900 feet they would walk if the pedestrian path were completed,” he said.

Curtatone said the dam walkway is not just about building a shortcut. “This is about creating vital riverfronts on both sides that benefit from the connection.”

“The connection helps to create a vast recreation area, instead of two rather isolated parks. Walkers, runners and cyclists will be able to ride along the river on both sides and make a traffic-free connection across the river,” he said.

The Earhart Dam recently received $250,000 in funding as a result of an EPA court settlement. The pedestrian crossing project was originally designed in 1966, but was never completed, he said.

The walk will begin in the lobby of the MBTA Orange Line Wellington Station at 1:00 p.m. April 24 with a rain date of April 25. More information is available at walkboston.org or groups.yahoo.com/group/MysticCrossing.