Blackstone River Greenway

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

Bikeway and park sign
The Blackstone River Greenway in October 2006, approximately one mile south of the Martin Street Bridge, Lincoln, Rhode Island

As of 2016, 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. Some 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of completed trail in Massachusetts connect Worcester and Millbury, as well as 3.7 miles of trail connecting Uxbridge and Blackstone.

The path roughly parallels the right-of-way of the active Providence & Worcester Railroad and its predecessor, the Blackstone Canal, running alongside the Blackstone River. In some places, the bike path follows the old canal towpath, with the long-abandoned canal running along one side and the river on the other. Once finished, the greenway 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 Greenway is also a designated section of the East Coast Greenway, the 3,000-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 in Lincoln was completed, ending a three-year bike path closure. The new bridge incorporated a major safety improvement with the path passing underneath Martin Street instead of meeting it at grade.[3] 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. In 2011, an 8.5 miles (13.7 km) segment of on-road bicycle lanes opened connecting the Blackstone River Greenway with the East Bay Bike Path, starting in Providence. In 2013, sharrows were painted through Woonsocket from the Massachusetts border to the River's Edge Recreational Complex.[4] In early Summer 2017, a new 0.6 miles (0.97 km) section of path was completed in Providence, stretching from Gano Street to Pitman Street, along the Seekonk River. As of 2017 the bike path is 11 miles (18 km) long, 10 miles (16 km) of which make up the longest segment, and additional segments are under design to extend the path further through Woonsocket toward the Massachusetts border and through the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. Construction of Section 8C from Cold Spring Park to the Massachusetts border was awarded to John Rocchio Corporation with a $2.8 million bid and a July 19, 2019 substantial completion date.[5]

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.

  1. Blackstone to Millville (2.92 miles)
  2. Millville to Uxbridge (3.30 miles)
  3. Uxbridge to Northbridge (9.09 miles)
  4. Northbridge to Grafton (1.39 miles)
  5. Grafton to Millbury via Sutton (6.02 miles)
  6. Millbury to Worcester (4+ miles)
  7. 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.[6] In 2005, as part of the Massachusetts Turnpike-Route 146 interchange project, the first 2.5-mile (4.0 km) segment, from Worcester to Millbury, was opened to the public.

In 2010, an agreement was reached between MassDOT and DCR for DCR to take over the management of the design and environmental permitting of Sections 1 through 5 of the Greenway, including preparation of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Section 6 was previously constructed by MassDOT, and Section 7 will be designed by the City of Worcester, and constructed by MassDOT.

In 2013, five bridges in Blackstone that run concurrently with the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) were repaired and repainted. These are the two Factory Pond Bridges, the northern Canal Street Bridge, a Blackstone River Bridge, and the St. Paul Street Bridge. By September 2014, these bridges received new ipe wood decks and safety railings. In 2014, new bridges were also constructed over Kane Court and Main Street, and a tunnel was built under Church Street, all in the town of Blackstone. The entire 3.7-mile path was finally completed in December 2016.[7]

All of the trail between the missing Blackstone River and Rte. 122 bridge in Blackstone and Rte. 146A in Uxbridge is part of both the SNETT and the Blackstone River Greenway.

Crossings
State County Town Crossing Notes
Massachusetts Worcester Worcester McKeon Road Current Masschusettes terminus
Blackstone River Road Underpass
Route 146 / Route 122A Freeway underpass (twice in a row)
Millbury US 20 Underpass
Route 146 exit 10 ramps Underpass
I‑90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) Underpass
Route 122A Underpass/overlap
Route 146 Overpass
Route 146 exit 9 ramp
Route 122A Path terminus
Break in Trail
Uxbridge Adams Street Path terminus
Millville Central Street
Blackstone River River crossing
Blackstone Route 122 Underpass
Blackstone River River crossing (Twice in a row)
Church Street Underpass
Route 122 Overpass
Canal Street Overpass
Blackstone River River crossing
St Paul Street Overpass, Current Massachusetts Terminus
Break in trail
Rhode Island Providence North Smithfield Blackstone RiverRiver crossing
Singleton St
Woonsocket Rec Drive Current Rhode Island terminus

(twice in a row)

Private Drive
Lincoln Route 99 Freeway underpass
Main Street Underpass
School Street
Lincoln–Cumberland Blackstone River River crossing
Cumberland Providence and Worcester Railroad Railroad crossing
I-295 Freeway underpass
Route 116 Underpass
Front Street
Lincoln–Cumberland Blackstone River River crossing
Lincoln Martin Street Underpass
Lincoln–Cumberland Blackstone River River crossing
Cumberland Route 122 Overlap
Lincoln–Cumberland Blackstone River River crossing
Lincoln Route 123 overlap
Lincoln–Cumberland Blackstone River River crossing
Cumberland Jones Street Path terminus
Break in Trail
Providence Pitman Street Path terminus
Gano Street Rhode Island terminus
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See also

References
  1. "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.
  2. "DEM, DOT, Governor Almond to cut ribbon on new segment of the Blackstone Valley Bikeway" (Press release). Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. June 6, 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  3. "Berkeley and Martin St. Bridges". Gordon R. Archibald, Inc. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  4. Olivo, Russ (July 17, 2013). "Markings guide cyclists through city streets". Woonsocket Call. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  5. "State of Rhode Island: Division of Purchases:". www.purchasing.ri.gov.
  6. Tolman, Lynne (May 16, 1999). "Wheels turning slowly for Blackstone River Bikeway". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  7. Seoane, Sandy (11 January 2017). "New section of greenway open, ready for winter recreation". The Valley Breeze. Breeze Publications. Retrieved 7 August 2017.

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