East
Bay Bike Path History
The East Bay Bike Path is the first bicycle facility undertaken by
the State of Rhode Island, has been acquired in 4 phases by the
Department of Transportation between the years of 1987 and 1992,
follows an abandoned rail bed running along Narragansett Bay. The
care and maintenance of the path is in the hands of the Department
of Environmental Management, Division of Parks and Recreation. The
plan to construct a path was okayed by Governor Edward DiPrete in
April of 1983 who supported the plan because, "'The East Bay Bike
Path will benefit Rhode Islanders of all ages by providing a
healthful and scenic bike trail for exercise, travel and enjoyment
of our beautiful coastline.'" (Providence Journal, April 18, 1983)
The
four phases consist of :
-
Phase I is from Riverside Square in East Providence to County
Road in Barrington, four miles in total, all on the old rail
bed.
-
Phase II is from India Point Park in Providence, crossing the
Washington Bridge onto an existing sidewalk in East Providence.
From there it will follow Veteran's Memorial Parkway to where it
picks up the rail bed and through to Riverside Square, a length
of 4.1 miles.
-
Phase III goes from County Road in Barrington to Route 114 in
Warren, a total of 1.9 scenic miles including travel over a
newly constructed trestle.
-
Lastly, Phase IV is from Route 114 in Warren to Independence
Park in Bristol, 3.8 miles.
The
path connects eight parks, India Point Park in Providence, Bold
Point and Squantum Woods in East Providence, Haines and Veteran's
Memorial Park in Barrington, Burr Hill Park in Warren, and Colt
State and Independence Parks in Bristol.
With
an original projected completion date sometime in 1988, the process
encountered some unexpected delays and the final phase was dedicated
by Governor Bruce Sundlun on Sunday, May 31, 1992.