Forming Better Connections

Washington Bridge Improvement Project
There’s good news: the bike path is getting better – particularly, the crossing into Providence and India Point Park is being improved. Unfortunately, it means a bit of a detour for bikers until next summer. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is widening the Washington Bridge section that connects Providence and East Providence, and it will be closed to bike traffic until summer 2014. This $21.2 million construction project will also include the addition of a separate walking and bikeway path, benches, plants, lighting, flagpoles and a res- toration of a historic granite façade of the original bridge. The bridge will be renamed the George Redman Linear Park after the man known as the “father” of the East Bay Bike Path. The new and improved connection will make an already wonderful bike path even better, and will make the crossing between Providence and East Providence a lot more pleasant than it has been.

No formal bike path detour has been created – however, commuters can use the Henderson Bridge (aka the Red Bridge), which connects from East Providence at North Broadway or Massasoit Avenue to Providence at South Angell Street, as an alternate route. But use caution: the bridge does not have a protected bike lane as the Washington Bridge does. RIPTA also offers a Rack ‘n Ride service, allowing cyclists to mount their bikes on buses for no additional fare. Routes 33, 34 and 60 take I-195 and the Washington Bridge and Routes 32, 35 and 78 take the Henderson Bridge.

Better Connections in Bristol
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management have teamed up to improve the bike path’s connection to Hope Street. This project will also include light installation along Asylum Road. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2013 or spring 2014.

Expanding and Connecting RI Bike Paths
The East Bay Bike Path already provides plenty of opportunity to get out and explore our little corner of Rhode Island, but plans are underway to allow for full-fledged journeys around the state and beyond – way beyond. The East Coast Greenway is a nonprofit advocacy organization working on a plan to create a 3,000-mile trail from Florida to Maine, linking all the major cities on the eastern seaboard. Along the way, all major Rhode Island bike paths will be linked, allowing riders to travel throughout the state – and into neighboring states – by bike. There will be a continuous path from the Massachusetts border along the Blackstone River Bikeway, through Providence, and on to Connecticut via the Washington Secondary Trail (see map below for details). The East Bay Bike Path will also become even more of a travel resource, linking to an alternate route that will pass through South Coast Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Currently, 52 percent of Rhode Island’s 49-mile portion of the Greenway has been completed, with another 35 percent in development. One of the main obstacles to completion has been creating off-road paths through Providence. To learn more and find out how you can help contact Trail Coordinator Eric Weis at 401-450-7155.