The Waban Arches, the historic Wellesley landmark dating back to the 1870s, now feature a 4-foot high chain-link fence that spans a total of 1,080 feet.

The fence, which sits on round cement posts, is designed to make things safer both for people working on the nine-arch stone bridge and passing across it. The new fence sits inside the old iron railings, which are not only lower, but in some cases deteriorating. Similar fencing can be seen at other nearby structures such as Echo Bridge, which spans from Needham to Newton.

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has been gussying up properties it oversees as it opens up official public access to aqueducts such as the Sudbury Aqueduct that runs along the Waban Arches path. Wellesley’s Sudbury Path runs across the bridge and its Guernsey Path goes under it.

Tom Lindberg of the MWRA says that in the case of Waban Arches, the old metal railings would be expensive to fix and still wouldn’t meet safety codes. The black color of the chain-link fence blends better with the surroundings, providing a better view from the bridge and of the bridge from the river and trails below it, he says. The MWRA has also been busy mowing atop the aqueduct and ridding the bridge of some graffiti.