A working group that includes the Navy, the Aquidneck Island Land Trust and Bike Newport is moving toward building a shared-use path alongside the active rail line on the island’s west side, a project first proposed more than 25 years ago.
The group, stewarded by Aquidneck Resilience, has hired Pare Corporation and the Horsley Witten Group to produce initial designs for a 4.5-mile first segment along Burma Road, running from the Melville area of Portsmouth to Access Road in Middletown, according to the organization. The firms were selected through a competitive proposal process.
Later phases would route around Naval Station Newport to connect with the shared-use path along Connell Highway that continues into downtown Newport, according to Aquidneck Resilience.
The path would run beside the tracks of the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad, which operates dinner trains and excursions on the corridor, and where Rail Explorers runs pedal-powered rail bikes.
“The key is to preserve the Newport Secondary as a working railroad while creating space for people to walk and bike safely alongside it,” Eric Moffett of the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad said in a statement. “Done right, the trail and the railroad can strengthen one another and give Aquidneck Island more transportation choices.”
“The rail corridor provides a unique opportunity to support the modern, multi-modal transportation pathway the island needs and the community deserves,” said Paige Myatt, director of climate resilience at Aquidneck Resilience.
The idea goes back at least to 2000, when the Aquidneck Island Land Conservation Strategy set a goal of linking open spaces so people could walk or bike from one end of the island to the other, including a path alongside the railway, according to Aquidneck Resilience. The island has since gained the 11-mile Sakonnet Greenway Trail, managed by the Land Trust, and a shared-use path running nearly three miles from Newport to Middletown.
Two public events are scheduled:
- Oct. 27, 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Innovate Newport, 513 Broadway, Newport — an open house with a brief presentation by the engineering consultants and a family-friendly art activity. Registration
- Nov. 1, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., at 1 Alexander Road, Portsmouth — a ride on the rails with the Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad. Registration required. Registration
The design phase is funded by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, with support from Prince Charitable Trusts and other philanthropic organizations, according to Aquidneck Resilience. The project will be managed in collaboration with the railroad, the state Department of Transportation and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth.
Aquidneck Resilience is a collaboration of the City of Newport, the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth and the Navy, hosted at the Aquidneck Island Land Trust. More information is at aquidneckresilience.org/rail-with-trail.
