The Town of Bristol is exploring ways to connect the popular East Bay Bike Path with the southern end of town, including Roger Williams University. It has hired a design team, funded by a state grant, to examine the ways and cost to create a bike lane from Independence Park through the downtown district.
A community input period was recently extended until Nov. 10, and consultants are asking Bristol residents to review and comment on the proposals (there are currently four). There will be three more public meetings on the project to gather input before a design is finalized.
The first is a Sept. 30 Bristol Town Council meeting, where the project is expected to be on the agenda. Next is an Oct. 22 public meeting, similar to one held in August, specifically to gather public feedback. Last is another public hearing before the Bristol Town Council.
In addition to the public meetings, residents can view the proposals and submit feedback at: https://sites.google.com/view/bristol-bicycle-connector/.
The maps above and descriptions below outline the four possible routes, as currently proposed:
East Route (Red):
This 4.2-mile route begins on the east side of Metacom Avenue and proceeds north until it crosses west onto Woodlawn Avenue. It follow local streets to Wood Street, then north on Wood until it joins a new path built from Veteran's Park to Chestnut Street. The route follows Chestnut to Hope Street, and then turns onto Asylum Road into Colt State Park where it joins the East Bay Bike Path. As proposed, the order of magnitude cost estimate for this option is approximately $3.5 million.
Middle on Wood (Blue)
This 3.2 mile route begins on the east side of Metacom Avenue and proceeds north until it crosses west onto Griswold Avenue and proceeds to Ferry Road where it turns north and merges with Wood Street. The majority of the route follows Wood Street, which is a well-developed commercial street. At Veteran's Park the path turns west, crosses Silver Creek via a new bridge and crosses Hope Street to join the East Bay Bike Path. As proposed, the order of magnitude cost estimate for this option is approximately $3.0 million.
Middle On High (Green)
This route follows the same Metacom and Griswold Avenue segments on the south, and proceeds to Ferry Road where it turns north and merges with Wood Street. It turns east on Walley Street and then north on High Street for most of its length. At the northern end of High Street the route has two options which split at the intersection of Franklin Street and High Street. The route option that continues north to Washington Street is 3.2 miles and the Franklin Street option is 2.7 miles total. As proposed, the order of magnitude cost estimate for the Franklin Street option is $2.0 million and for the Washington Street option is approximately $2.5 million.
West (Purple)
This 2.4 mile long route begins on the west side of Ferry Road, merges onto Hope Street and turning north on High Street at the existing pedestrian crossing. The route travels north on High Street and west on either Constitution of Church Street, crossing Hope Street at either of the existing pedestrian crossings. It turns north onto Thames Street and travels to the existing terminus of the East Bay Bike Path at Independence Park. As proposed, the order of magnitude cost estimate for this option is approximately $1.5 million.