Fall River is building more rail trail, with a goal to connect Cape Cod to RI by bike
FALL RIVER — The Quequechan River Rail Trail is about to get a tiny bit longer, just in time for outdoor-fun season.
The 2-mile multi-use path, which runs through the heart of Fall River, is currently undergoing construction at the Narrows near the Westport line. An extension of the path will bring it exactly to Fall River’s eastern border with Westport.
Officially known as the Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail, the path popular with walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters and more begins at Britland Park and travels along the Quequechan River’s path through the Flint. It crosses Brayton Avenue and continues along the South Watuppa Pond’s northern shore, coming to an abrupt end just beyond LePage’s Seafood.
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What work is being done on the rail trail?
The rail trail follows the old New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line, which once connected Fall River with Westport and points east. The path currently ends just shy of the Westport border — it will soon extend exactly to that point.
“It’s plus or minus about 550 feet to the Westport line from its current terminus," said Chris Parayno, Fall River’s assistant planner.
The project blueprints call for a 10-foot-wide paved path with 2-foot grass shoulders. The work involves building that path, seeding the shoulder, clearing land along the South Watuppa Pond’s shore, removing decades-old railroad tracks and ties, installing riprap, and other tasks.
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When will it be done?
“It’s really weather-dependent at this point," Parayno said. “But if all goes without any weather delays, probably about two months.”
The city’s bid invitation for the project notes that the path must be finished by June 30.
How much does the work cost?
It’s being paid for with Community Preservation Act funds; the committee has set aside about $450,000 for the project over multiple fiscal years.
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Is there more work coming?
Yes, but not for a while.
The Quequechan River Rail Trail has been built in phases, with the first phase opening in 2016. There’s currently a path along the Britland Park side of the river that continues to a wooded spot just behind the Pilgrim Mill.
What's known as Phase 4 will continue that path along the other side of the river, and connect to the main part of the rail trail via a bridge — so, rather than dead-ending in the woods, it’ll form a loop. Phase 4 will also include a spur that connects to Travassos Park in the Flint.
“That is in the preliminary engineering stages right now. So that is still a little bit aways,” Parayno said. “We’re still at the very, very early stages on that project.”
How far will this bike path go?
The South Coast Bikeway Alliance has envisioned the Quequechan River Rail Trail becoming part of a 50-mile system of bike paths and cycling lanes that connects Cape Cod to existing trails in Rhode Island, with each city or town continuing the path, border to border; this extension completes a small gap in coverage, handing off Fall River's share of the path to Westport.
Westport currently does not have a path that links to Fall River's rail trail.
Besides Fall River's bike path, much of the South Coast Bikeway is already in place, including sections in Swansea, New Bedford, Fairhaven and Wareham.
Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River rail trail could create Cape Cod to Rhode Island bike path
