Blackstone River Bikeway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Blackstone River Bikeway in October 2006, approximately one mile south of the Martin St. Bridge

The Blackstone River Bikeway is a planned 48-mile (77 km) paved rail trail defining the course of the East Coast Greenway through the Blackstone Valley from Worcester, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island.

As of 2013, approximately 11.5 miles (18.5 km) of the trail has been completed in Rhode Island, connecting the communities of Woonsocket, Lincoln, Cumberland and Manville. 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of completed trail in Massachusetts connect Worcester and Millbury.

The path follows the right-of-way of the old Providence and Worcester Railroad and its predecessor, the Blackstone Canal, running alongside the Blackstone River. Once constructed, the bikeway will be linked to the East Bay Bike Path, for an additional 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of trail to Bristol, Rhode Island. The Blackstone River Bikeway is also a designated section of the East Coast Greenway, the 2900-mile trail system connecting cities from Maine to Florida.

History

In 1985, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (known after 1999 as the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor) was designated by the United States Congress, following the path of the Blackstone River from Providence to Worcester.

Rhode Island

In 1997, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Department of Transportation began work on the first Rhode Island segment, from Lincoln to Ashton.^[1] This segment was completed in 1998. A second Rhode Island segment was completed in 2002, from Ashton to Manville.^[2] In August 2007, a bridge reconstruction project at Martin Street was completed, ending a three-year bike path closure. The new bridge also incorporated a major safety improvement for the path with the path passing underneath Martin Street instead of meeting it at grade. In November 2007, a 2-mile (3.2 km) extension from Manville to the Woonsocket Water Treatment Plant was opened. A 1-mile (1.6 km) segment from Lonsdale to Valley Falls, which includes more than 500 feet (150 m) of boardwalk over part of the Lonsdale Marsh, opened in 2008. A segment through the River's Edge Recreational Complex in Woonsocket was completed in 2008, and that segment was linked to the previously-completed portions to the south later that year. The path is about 10 miles (16 km) long as of mid-2009. Additional segments are under design to extend the path further through Woonsocket toward the Massachusetts border and south into Central Falls and Pawtucket. In 2011, an 8.5 mile segment of on-road bicycle lanes opened connecting the Blackstone River Bikeway with the East Bay Bike Path, starting in Providence.

Massachusetts

In 1996, a study undertaken by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (known at the time as the Department of Environmental Management) produced a plan for seven segments of trail linking Worcester with Blackstone, Massachusetts and the Rhode Island border.

Blackstone to Millville (2.92 miles)
Millville to Uxbridge (3.30 miles)
Uxbridge to Northbridge (9.09 miles)
Northbridge to Grafton (1.39 miles)
Grafton to Millbury via Sutton (6.02 miles)
Millbury to Worcester (4+ miles)
Worcester (2.61 miles)

Construction was delayed due to a lack of state funds, a shortfall attributed to the over-budget "Big Dig" highway tunnel project in Boston.^[3] In 2005, the first 2.5-mile (4.0 km) segment, from Worcester to Millbury, was opened to the public.

References

↑ "DEM Announces Construction of Blackstone River Bike Path to Begin in Fall" (Press release). Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. July 2, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
↑ "DEM, DOT, Governor Almond to Cut Ribbon on New Segment of the Blackstone River Bikeway" (Press release). Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. June 6, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
↑ Tolman, Lynne (May 16, 1999). "Wheels turning slowly for Blackstone River Bikeway". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved September 24, 2012.

External links

Blackstone Bikeway and Visitors Center Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation
Blackstone River Bikeway Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
Blackstone River Bikeway Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island
Blackstone River Bikeway Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Part of the trail in Rhode Island on a Google Map
Worcester portion on Google map Hosted at ARRT

v t e Protected areas of Rhode Island

Federal	Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Chafee National Wildlife Refuge Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Touro Synagogue National Historic Site Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge Roger Williams National Memorial

State Parks	Arcadia Beavertail Blackstone River Bikeway Brenton Point Burlingame Colt East Bay Bike Path Fishermen's Memorial Fort Adams Fort Wetherill George Washington Goddard Memorial Haines Memorial Lincoln Woods Pulaski Snake Den World War II Memorial

State Beaches	Charlestown Breachway East Beach East Matunuck Fort Adams Goddard Memorial Misquamicut Roger Wheeler Salty Brine Scarborough

State Forests	Lincoln Woods George Washington Memorial Wickaboxet

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.