East Bay Bike Path

East Bay Bike Path
East Bay Bike Path
	Facing south near the path's southern terminus in Bristol
East Bay Bike Path
Length	14.5 miles (23.3 km)
Location	Providence County and Bristol County, Rhode Island
Established	1992
Designation	East Coast Greenway
Trailheads	India Point Park; Bristol, Rhode Island
Use	Hiking, Walking, Cycling
Sights	Narragansett Bay
Surface	Asphalt
Website	East Bay Bike Path
Trail map
	Legend
	Providence
	E. Providence
	E. Providence
	Barrington
	Barrington
	Warren
	Warren
	Bristol
	ferries to Newport
	& Prudence Island
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The East Bay Bike Path is a 14.5-mile (23.3 km) paved rail trail in Rhode Island. The path originates in Providence and India Point Park, crosses the Seekonk River via the George Redman Linear Park (opened September 2015^[1]) and the Washington Bridge, and continues southeast to Bristol along the shoreline of Narragansett Bay. The path passes through the city of East Providence, the hamlet of Riverside, and the towns of Barrington and Warren. It is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile system of trails connecting the Canada–US border in Maine to Key West, as well as provides access to Haines State Park, Brickyard Pond (Barrington), and Colt State Park.

History

Most of the East Bay Bike Path runs along the former right-of-way of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (also referred as the Bristol Secondary) which originally opened in 1855 between Providence and Bristol, Rhode Island. The 14.1-mile (22.7 km) line was operated by the Old Colony Railroad and later the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad by the early 20th century. In 1900, the line was electrified and adopted a rapid-transit model of service until 1934. All passenger service was discontinued in 1937.^[2]

In 1970, Penn Central requested ICC permission to abandon the line from Providence to Bristol. The Crook Point Bascule Bridge and East Side Tunnel were abandoned by Conrail in 1976 which further limited access to the remainder of the Bristol Secondary; the line would only be accessible via the East Providence Branch and the East Junction Branch. The rest of the line was abandoned in sections by the Providence and Worcester in 1976 due to low freight demand.^[3] In 1981, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation briefly considered restoring passenger service to the Bristol Secondary right-of-way as a state-subsidized commuter rail line; however, this proposed service was precluded following the realignment of the Northeast Corridor later in the 1980s.^[4] In the present day, visible stretches of abandoned trackage run adjacent to the East Bay Bike Path.^[2]

Construction

Conversion of the Bristol Secondary into Rhode Island's first major shared-use path was approved in April 1983 by Governor Edward DiPrete. The path was constructed between 1987 and 1992 on the former railbed of the Bristol Secondary between East Providence and Bristol.^[5] The bikeway was constructed in four phases:

Riverside Square to Barrington County Road (4.17 miles or 6.71 kilometres)
County Road, Barrington to Franklin Street, Warren (2.38 miles or 3.83 kilometres)
Franklin Street, Warren to Independence Park, Bristol (3.87 miles or 6.23 kilometres)
Riverside Square to India Point Park, Providence (3.98 miles or 6.41 kilometres)

The path was dedicated on May 31, 1992 by Governor Bruce Sundlun. An 8.5 mile on-road bike lane was completed in 2011, linking the East Bay Bike Path with the south tip of the Blackstone River Bikeway, a 48-mile (77 km) trail that will link Providence with Worcester, Massachusetts.

Repairs and upgrade

Tree roots, erosion, and weather necessitated repairs to the asphalt in 2002, 2007, and 2009.^[6] Repairs in mid-2016 targeted the most hazardous areas of the path.^[6] Pavement was repaired, destructive tree roots removed, eroded areas reinforced, and new planks were installed on the Barrington trestles.^[6]

A section of the bike path was renovated and rebuilt along the Washington Bridge between 2012 and 2015.^[7] The park was christened the George Redman Linear Park, opened in September 2015 at a total cost of $21.8 million.^[1] It consists of an 11-foot wide bicycle lane, a separated footpath paved with stamped concrete, and several seating areas and is grade-separated from I-195 automobile traffic. It was named in honor of East Providence cyclist George Redman.^[8]^[9]^[1] A plaque honoring Redman can be seen on the west end of the park.

The advanced deterioration of structural elements of the 1900 railroad trestles carrying the Bike Path over the Barrington and Palmer Rivers necessitated their closure in November 2019.^[10] The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) had allocated $10 million for their replacement. In Spring 2021, the estimated costs rose to as much as $25 million. RIDOT in 2021 invested $2 million to build a temporary continuous detour using boardwalks on the north side of the Route 114 vehicular bridges across the rivers until a permanent solution could be found. In late 2021, RIDOT issued a request for proposals (RFP) design-build procurement for replacing the bridges.^[11] In 2022, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse provided a total of $14 million ($5 million in March and another $9 million in August) in additional funding toward the project.^[12]^[13] RIDOT hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the $24 million design-build project on September 26, 2022 to replace both bridges using an approach that limits shoreline impacts and does not affect nearby utilities. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.^[14]

Route

India Point Park, Providence (terminus) - formerly a rail yard for Boston and Providence Railroad
Washington Bridge over Seekonk River
Street running along 1st Street, East Providence
Follows Veterans Memorial Parkway, developed by the Rhode Island Metropolitan Park Commission
Bold Point Park / Fort Hill, East Providence
Transition to former right-of-way of Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad for remainder of route
Squantum Woods Park, East Providence, next to the Squantum Association, which grew out of a 19th century tradition of men's groups putting on clam bakes^[15]
Exxon-Mobil terminal for oil tankers
Pomham Rocks Light
East Providence Water Pollution Control Plant (sewage treatment), serving East Providence and Barrington^[16]
Haines Memorial State Park, Barrington
Bridge over Barrington River (rerouted to temporary dedicated bridge as of summer 2022)
Bridge over Palmer River (rerouted to temporary dedicated bridge as of summer 2022)
Burr's Hill Park, Warren
Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, Bristol
Colt State Park, Bristol
Independence Park, Bristol (terminus)

Gallery

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kuffner, Alex (September 21, 2015). "$21.8-million George Redman Linear Park is dedicated to pioneer of R.I. bike paths". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "East Bay Bike Path History". TrailLink. Rails to Trails Conservancy. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
^ "The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad - Abandoned Rails". www.abandonedrails.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
^ Providence Railroad and Highway Improvements, Northeast Corridor Improvement Project: Environmental Impact Statement. United States: n.p., 1981. pg. 40
^ "East Bay Bike Path". Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
^ ^a ^b ^c Salit, Richard (July 4, 2016). "RIDOT to smooth brain-rattling, spine jarring stretches of East Bay Bike Path". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
^ "RIDOT to begin Washington Bridge linear park project". RI.GOV. State of Rhode Island. July 5, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
^ "Legendary Local Cyclist Inspires Washington Bridge Replacement : CEG".
^ "Washington Bridge Bikeway & Linear Park". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
^ RI.gov. "RIGOV". www.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^ "State of Rhode Island: Division of Purchases". purchasing.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^ "Reed Helps Write $1.5T 2022 Omnibus Spending Bill with Key Wins for RI & Middle-Class Families | U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island". www.reed.senate.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^ "Reed Announces Extra $48.5 Million to Fix RI Roads & Bridges | U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island". www.reed.senate.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^ "Governor McKee, Senators Reed and Whitehouse, FHWA and RIDOT Break Ground for the East Bay Bike Path Bridges | Governor's Office, State of Rhode Island". governor.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
^ The History of Squantum
^ Wastewater Treatment Facility Officials

External links

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/East Bay Bike Path

KML is from Wikidata

"East Bay Bike Path". TrailLink. Rails to Trails Conservancy. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
East Bay Bike Path Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Parks and Recreations Division
East Bay Bike Path Rhode Island Department of Transportation (with map)
East Coast Greenway Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island

[ProJo20150902-1] Kuffner, Alex (September 21, 2015). "$21.8-million George Redman Linear Park is dedicated to pioneer of R.I. bike paths". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

[TrailLink-2] "East Bay Bike Path History". TrailLink. Rails to Trails Conservancy. Retrieved September 20, 2020.

[3] "The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad - Abandoned Rails". www.abandonedrails.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.

[4] Providence Railroad and Highway Improvements, Northeast Corridor Improvement Project: Environmental Impact Statement. United States: n.p., 1981. pg. 40

[dot-5] "East Bay Bike Path". Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

[ProJo20160704-6] Salit, Richard (July 4, 2016). "RIDOT to smooth brain-rattling, spine jarring stretches of East Bay Bike Path". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2016.

[7] "RIDOT to begin Washington Bridge linear park project". RI.GOV. State of Rhode Island. July 5, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

[8] "Legendary Local Cyclist Inspires Washington Bridge Replacement : CEG".

[9] "Washington Bridge Bikeway & Linear Park". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2023.

[10] RI.gov. "RIGOV". www.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

[11] "State of Rhode Island: Division of Purchases". purchasing.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

[12] "Reed Helps Write $1.5T 2022 Omnibus Spending Bill with Key Wins for RI & Middle-Class Families | U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island". www.reed.senate.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

[13] "Reed Announces Extra $48.5 Million to Fix RI Roads & Bridges | U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island". www.reed.senate.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

[14] "Governor McKee, Senators Reed and Whitehouse, FHWA and RIDOT Break Ground for the East Bay Bike Path Bridges | Governor's Office, State of Rhode Island". governor.ri.gov. Retrieved October 25, 2022.

[15] The History of Squantum

[16] Wastewater Treatment Facility Officials

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v t e Protected areas of Rhode Island
Federal	Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park 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	Beavertail Blackstone River Greenway Brenton Point Burlingame Colt Fishermen's Memorial Fort Adams Fort Wetherill Goddard Memorial Haines Memorial Lincoln Woods Pulaski Rocky Point Snake Den World War II Veterans Memorial
State Beaches	Charlestown Breachway East Beach East Matunuck Misquamicut Roger Wheeler Salty Brine Scarborough
State Forests	George Washington Memorial Lincoln Woods Wickaboxet
Wild and Scenic Rivers	Ashaway River Beaver River Chipuxet River Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Queen River Usquepaug River Wood River
Other protected areas	Arcadia Management Area East Bay Bike Path Ell Pond George Washington State Campground