Washington Secondary Rail Trail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Washington Secondary Rail Trail is a rail trail located in Rhode Island.
The trail measures 14 miles and has sections which are paved and unpaved. It runs along an abandoned rail corridor of the former Providence, Hartford and Fishkill Railroad.
The trail serves the communities of Coventry, West Warwick, Warwick and Cranston. Sections of this path are sometimes referred to in relation to Narragansett Bay, such as the "West Bay Bike Path" and "East Bay Bike Path".
Long term plans envision the Washington Secondary Rail Trail connecting with the Blackstone River Bikeway and the East Bay Bike Path. The Washington Secondary Rail Trail is a designated section of the East Coast Greenway.
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[edit] Coventry section
- distance 4.07 miles
The designation of the Washington Secondary Bike Path starts at the south/western paved end of the Coventry segment. West of this point, the trail is known as the Trestle Trail to the Ct state line. The pavement continues for 2.5 miles north/east until it stops at the Station Street road crossing. For 1.5 miles, the trail is dirt, gravel, and in some spots, mud. Over the duration of the 2.5 paved and 1.5 unpaved miles, the Coventry greenway passes alongside the Flat River Reservoir, Knotty Oak Cemetery , the Merrill S. Whipple Conservation Area, Tiogue lake, and the upper branch of the Pawtuxtet river over 4 bridges (3 water, 1 road, 1 of them a truss design). The path follows the direction of RI 117. Current plans place the paving of the station street --> West Warwick segment within a year. [1]
[edit] West Warwick section
- distance 2.7 miles
The trail is paved from the Coventry section to the Warwick leg. The right of way passes by the commercial district of Arctic. Along the trail are two mills, one commercial/industry, and one Residential (Royal Mills, Ace Dying Mill complex; conversion in progress). Bradford Soap Works straddles the greenway not far after.
[edit] Warwick section
- distance 1.57 miles
It provides an almost direct connection to Bald Hill road and the Malls; (RI and Warwick). Another truss bridge is on the path nearby the West Warwick sewer treatment facility (the township line is nearby the greenway).
[edit] Cranston section
- distance 5.88 miles
The longest paved section, the greenway passes though Oaklawn, Knightsville and the Gladstone sections of Cranston. The northern termuis at the moment ends at the northern end of Garfield avenue, at the Cranston Police department. The right of way, accessible almost up to the tracks continues north for .33 miles until it merges with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
