An outline of the proposed Warren Bike Path. The 4,500-foot path will connect the east shore of the Kickemuit River to Long Lane in Touisset.

WARREN - The long-studied Warren Bike Path will be delayed yet again, as a review of the proposed site by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation has triggered a request for an archaeological study by the Narragansett Indians.

Jim Soctomah, a Narragansett Indian cultural resources liaison for the Federal Highway Administration, recommended the archaeological study after touring the site with Michael Hebert, a historic preservation specialist with the DOT.

"There is a possibility for cultural resources, and possibly disturbance," Mr. Soctomah said. "The purpose of the archaeological survey is to avoid that, or to at least minimize that."

Mr. Soctomah said a variety of factors influenced the request, but the primary one was cultural protection.

"Our basic concern is the greatest protection, any sort of cultural material," he said. "[A survey] is not uncommon. It's part of the environmental process."

The survey was recommended to the town in a March 3 letter. Because of the survey, about four to six weeks will be added to the bike path's completion time. This will allow the town's engineering firm, the PARE Corporation, to request a survey from the Public Archaeological Laboratory and to complete the survey.

The $2.5 million project was most recently pitched and planned after a re-design by PARE in April 2006. The first idea for a trail came in 1987, with the idea morphing into a bike path in the 1990s. However, the state's engineering firm went bankrupt, which required Warren to hire PARE to complete the work. The path would stretch 4,500 feet, from the Warren-Fall River railroad bed near Long Lane to the end of the Kickemuit River.

In addition to the archaeological survey, the town also needs to secure permission from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council before soliciting bids for the project. The adjusted timetable for the bike path calls for bids and the project's start in Fall 2008, which still beats initial projections of a 2009 start date.

Warren Town Manager Michael Abbruzzi said the project is funded with a federal grant, so the town will not have to pay more for the archaeological work. He said he does not know how much a survey will cost, but added that the news was expected.

"This wasn't a surprise," he said. "When we did the town wharf, they chose for us not to do a Phase I archaeological survey, and this time, they chose to have one done."

Mr. Abbruzzi added that because federal funds are being used, an additional layer of oversight, the Federal Highway Administration, required the survey. Edward F. Sanderson, of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, supported the town's plan without recommending an archaeological survey. He noted that "this project will have no effect on any significant cultural resources."

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The story so far

Since talk of a Warren Bike Path began nearly 20 years ago, the project faced a frustrating setback, and 2009 is the earliest the town and DOT can break ground on the project.

n In 1987 the town acquires land it would later develop as Warren Recreational Park. From that acquisition, talks begin of building a walking trail.

n The plan evolves from a walking path to a bike path and the state proceeds with the project in the late 1990s, after conducting a feasibility study and hiring an engineering firm.

n After drafting 75 percent of the plans, the state's engineering firm goes bankrupt and, legally, designs no longer belong to the state. The project goes back to square one.

n Town officials keep the project alive and request to use the in-house firm — Pare Engineering. The firm must re-design the trail from scratch.

n Pare Engineering estimates new plans will cost $115,000. The town approves the funds and proceeds with the re-design.

n A plan for condos in August 2006 puts the path in jeopardy, but town officials retain an easement through the property of the proposed site.

n Currently, the town is planning an archaeological survey after receiving a request from a cultural liaison for the Narragansett Indians.

By Stephen Greenwell

sgreenwell@eastbaynewspapers.com