Federal money sought to build Bourne Rail Trail, Cataumet tracks may be history
BUZZARDS BAY — The Bourne Rail Trail Committee in a February executive summary report to Town Administrator Marlene McCollem said bike-path construction through Cataumet would be next to impossible without resident support and a possible change in plans.
The Bourne Select Board on March 7 considered the report, which essentially says constructing a bicycle trail next to the village rail bed would be costly when compared to a bike path built on the state-owned tracks that now service Otis Air National Guard Base via a rail spur.
Members unanimously endorsed a rail trail panel resolution that U.S. COVID-relief stimulus funds, up to $20 million for the project and flowing to the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, be approved for release to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation through Gov. Maura Healey’s office.
Part of the board’s endorsement involves support for “ripping up the rails” to make way for the long-planned bike path. Eliminating the tracks, however, still must be studied. Keeping them in place has turned Phase 4 project planning/design into frustration and led to forceful community opposition.
“We can’t ignore facts,” the rail trail committee noted. “The proposed plan for a rail-with-trail project has met resistance. The physical, environmental and financial challenges associated with building the pathway alongside the tracks are considerable and may be difficult to overcome. Justification for accommodating the rails has been absent. A true cost-benefit analysis has been lacking.”
Ripping up railroad tracks in Bourne for a bike trail
Select board member Mary Jane Mastrangelo remains “totally in support of this (rail-to-trail) option and seeing if we can make this work. I think this is the time that this is what we should be doing.”
Thomas Cahir, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority administrator, said federal funds come in the wake of his agency’s argument to federal officials that the proposed rail trail is all about transportation “connectivity.”
“The big deal here is pivoting from rail-with-trail to rail-to-trail,” Cahir told the select board. He said U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Bourne, “likes the option” and has shared his sentiment with Healey’s office.
Housing:Opponents of Twin Brooks housing project in Hyannis go to court: Here's the latest
“It’s a new day,” Cahir said. “It’s a new administration. It’s an opportunity to create a new Cape. It’s a great thing.”
State Rep. David Vieira, R-Falmouth, meanwhile, said the Legislature is already considering a new rail-spur option for Otis Air Base on Joint Base Cape Cod that would, if necessary, replace the Cataumet tracks.
Cataumet residents reject rail-with-trail option
Cataumet villagers in November told rail-trail members they oppose a bike path next to the tracks, pointing out potential problems with fencing and parking.
Previous coverage:Bike path planning in Bourne stumbles: Advisory committee to ask for help
The Cataumet rail trail stretch remains a vital Phase 4 link in plans to connect the Shining Sea Bikeway from North Falmouth to the canal at the railroad bridge. In a wider context, resolving the Cataumet tracks issue would ultimately mean progress for a long-planned scenic linear bicycle ride between Woods Hole and Provincetown.
'Competition for construction funding' intense
Before the select board meeting, David McPherson, chair of the town's Pedestrian, Bicycle Pathway Advisory Committee, said his panel wants bike-path work to proceed “expeditiously.""Competition for construction funding" has been intense, he said. "We want to take advantage of that stimulus funding. We’ve been advised the money is in hand and has been approved and that the governor has been advised that it is available.
“There has been universal residential opposition to rail-with-trail, and we’ve tried to engage the state on that issue, but it’s proven to be a non-starter,” McPherson said. “Touch the tracks? We’ve been told we can’t do that. The assumption has always been that the military must have the tracks. Our question has been, is that true? Or is that just a myth that’s been out there?”
Government:Exercise weights in state prisons could be permanently banned. Here's a Cape Cod proposal.
Mastrangelo said building a bike path alongside the railroad tracks is more expensive than a trail on the railbed with no tracks. To continue with rail-with-trail, she said, “we’re just not being practical.”
Vieira added a final point. “This resolution is an effort to look at all options to get to rail-to-trail,” he said. “It’s a way to figure out the options.”
Following the meeting, select board Chair Peter Meier praised rail-trail work to date and progress up to this point."There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be successful," he said. "People are promoting healthy lifestyles. Having a bike path from the canal to North Falmouth will be an economic boost for our area too.”
Get the Cape Cod news that matters delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne officials endorse Bourne Rail Trail plan, federal funds sought
