The East Bay Bike Path is a paved

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. The path begins in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and

India Point Park India Point Park is a park in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island at the confluence of the Seekonk River and Providence River. The park takes its name from the maritime activity connecting Providence with the East and West Ind ...

, crosses the

Seekonk River The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk, or for black goose. The river is home to t ...

via the George Redman Linear Park (opened September 2015) and

Washington Bridge The Washington Bridge is a -long arch bridge over the Harlem River in New York City between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The crossing, opened in 1888, connects 181st Street (Manhattan), 181st Street and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Am ...

and continues southeast to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

along the shoreline of

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

. The path passes through the city of East Providence, the hamlet of

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

, and the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Barrington and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

. It is part of the

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...

, a 3,000-mile system of trails connecting the Canada–US border in Maine to Key West. and provides access to Haines State Park, Brickyard Pond (Barrington), and

Colt State Park Colt State Park is an American public open space that occupies on Poppasquash Neck in the town of Bristol, Rhode Island, once owned by industrialist Samuel P. Colt, nephew of firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt. The park is a major component of t ...

. It is used annually by 1.1 million people.

History

The East Bay Bike Path was originally part of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad which opened in 1855 to take trains from

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

. The line changed hands several times through the years, eventually falling under the ownership of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad. In 1900 the line was electrified and adopted a rapid-transit model of service until 1934. All passenger service was discontinued in 1937. In 1970,

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...

requested ICC permission to abandon the line from Providence to Bristol. The

Crook Point Bascule Bridge The Crook Point Bascule Bridge (or the Seekonk River Drawbridge) is a defunct Scherzer rolling lift railway bridge which spans the Seekonk River, connecting the city of Providence, Rhode Island, to the city of East Providence. Stuck in the open ...

and East Side Tunnel were abandoned by

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

in 1976; the line was now only accessible via the East Providence Branch and the

East Junction Branch The East Junction Branch (formerly known as the Seekonk Branch Railroad and the India Point Branch) is a historic railroad line owned and operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in the U.S. state of Rhode Island and by the Massachusetts ...

. The rest of the branch was officially abandoned by the Providence and Worcester in 1976 due to low freight demand. In 1981, the

Rhode Island Department of Transportation The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is a Rhode Island state government agency charged with design, construction, maintenance and inspection of a wide range of transportation infrastructure. These include 3,300 lane miles of stat ...

briefly considered restoring passenger service to the PW&B right-of-way as a state-subsidized commuter rail line; this proposed service was precluded following the realignment of the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...

later in the 1980s. Despite having been out of service by trains for 45+ years, tracks still remain along many parts of the old route as the trail in some places was constructed beside the right-of-way, rather than on top. The plan for

's first major bike path was approved in April 1983 by Governor

Edward DiPrete Edward Daniel DiPrete (born July 8, 1934) is an American Republican Party politician and convicted felon from Rhode Island. He served as the 70th Governor of Rhode Island for three two-year terms, serving from 1985 to 1991. Convicted of numerou ...

. It was built between 1987 and 1992, following the abandoned rail bed of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad. The property was acquired and constructed in four phases: # Riverside Square to Barrington County Road () # County Road, Barrington to Franklin Street, Warren () # Franklin Street, Warren to Independence Park, Bristol () # Riverside Square to

, Providence () The completed path was dedicated on May 31, 1992 by Governor

Bruce Sundlun Bruce George Sundlun (January 19, 1920 – July 21, 2011) was an American businessman, politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as 71st governor of Rhode Island between 1991 and 1995. He was Rhode Island's second Jewish gove ...

. 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 The Blackstone River Greenway in October 2006, approximately one mile south of the Martin Street Bridge, Lincoln, Rhode Island The Blackstone River Greenway (formerly Bikeway) is a partially completed paved rail trail defining the course of ...

, a trail that will link Providence with

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. Rhode Island's next project will be connecting the East Bay Bike Path with the

Washington Secondary Rail Trail 450x450px, The Washington Secondary Bike path includes several bridges. The Washington Secondary Rail Trail (also known as the Washington Secondary Bike Path) is a rail trail located in Rhode Island. The trail measures and has sections that ...

Repairs and upgrade

Tree roots, erosion, and weather necessitated repairs to the asphalt in 2002, 2007, and 2009. Repairs in mid-2016 targeted the most hazardous areas of the path. Pavement was repaired, destructive tree roots removed, eroded areas reinforced, and new planks were installed on the Barrington bridges. A section of the bike path was renovated and rebuilt along the

between 2012 and 2015. The park was christened the George Redman Linear Park, opened in September 2015 at a total cost of $21.8 million. It consists of an 11-foot wide bicycle lane, a separated footpath paved with stamped concrete, and several seating areas and is completely separated from I-195 automobile traffic. It was named in honor of East Providence cyclist George Redman. 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. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) had allocated $10 million for their replacement. As of 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. RIDOT in late 2021 also issued a request for proposals (RFP) design-build procurement for replacing the bridges. In 2022, Senators Jack Reed and

Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...

provided a total of $14 million ($5 million in March and another $9 million in August) in additional funding toward the project. 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 done by the end of 2025.

Route

, Providence (terminus) - formerly a rail yard for

Boston and Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the Rail transport in the United States, first rail ...

over

* 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 The Squantum Association is a private club in East Providence, Rhode Island on 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway. Its main Club House overlooks the Providence River on a rocky promontory. This Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1900 by Mart ...

, which grew out of a 19th century tradition of men's groups putting on clam bakes *

Exxon-Mobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...

terminal for

oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crud ...

s * Pomham Rocks Light * East Providence Water Pollution Control Plant (

sewage treatment Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding envir ...

), serving East Providence and BarringtonWastewater Treatment Facility Officials
/ref> * Haines Memorial State Park, Barrington * Bridge over

Barrington River Barrington may refer to: People * Barrington (name) * Barrington baronets, holders of a title in the baronetage of England * Viscount Barrington, a title in the peerage of Ireland Places Australia * Barrington, New South Wales * Barring ...

(rerouted to temporary dedicated bridge as of summer 2022) * Bridge over

Palmer River The Palmer River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area surrounding the river was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1873. Course and features The headwaters of the Palmer River rise in ...

(rerouted to temporary dedicated bridge as of summer 2022) * Burr's Hill Park, Warren * Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, Bristol *

, Bristol *

Independence Park Independence Park may refer to: * Independence Park Botanic Gardens, a botanical garden in Baton Rouge, Louisiana * Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina), a park in Charlotte, North Carolina * Independence Park (Chicago), a park in Chicag ...

, Bristol (terminus)

Gallery

File:East Bay Bike Path in Riverside, October 2020.jpg File:George Redman Linear Park looking east 2015.jpg File:East Bay Bike Path crossing Watchemoket Cove, August 2016.jpg

References

External links

*
East Bay Bike Path
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Parks and Recreations Division
East Bay Bike Path
Rhode Island Department of Transportation (wit
map

East Coast Greenway
Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island {{authority control Barrington, Rhode Island Bristol, Rhode Island East Providence, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Providence, Rhode Island Rail trails in Rhode Island State parks of Rhode Island East Coast Greenway Warren, Rhode Island Protected areas of Providence County, Rhode Island Protected areas established in 1992 1992 establishments in Rhode Island