Marion bike path rolls closer to construction

Sep 3, 2018

The town is rolling closer to getting its portion of a South Coast bike path constructed.

Marion recently submitted its so-called “25-percent design” engineering plan to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. It is the first step in the funding process to constructing a 3.7-mile path through Marion, connecting Mattapoisett and Wareham pathways.

“What that does for us is locks in the funding that the state, the DOT, has set aside for us for fiscal year 2020. That’s roughly $3 million dollars to pay for this pathway,” Jeff Oakes, an environmental engineer with Foth-CLE Engineering Group and a member of the Marion Bike Path Committee, told Marion Selectmen at the board’s Aug. 21, meeting.

Oakes said now that the town’s design engineering has been submitted, funding could become available in July of 2020, and construction could start in October of 2020. Prior to those dates, the state will hold its own hearing on Marion’s bike path design plans.

Oakes said Phase I of Marion’s planned bike path extends from the Marion-Mattapoisett town line, along the abandoned railroad bed at the industrial park. From there, it runs behind Brew Fish Bay & Eatery, crosses Spring Street at Front Street, and takes the old trolley track bed into Washburn Park. It runs through Washburn Park and then jumps onto the old railway bed. It continues parallel to the old railway bed out to Point Road. 

Phase II, which appears to be less developed, would connect to Wareham. Oakes said Wareham seems to be focusing more on the part of its path that connects to Bourne, but admitted he hasn’t spoken to the Wareham bike path people in a while.

Marion and Wareham are part of the 60-mile planned contiguous South Coast Bikeway. Though all towns along the South Coast have committed to the path, construction is being done in pieces.

“Ultimately, it will connect Providence to the (Bourne) bridge, but we have to connect to Wareham,” Oakes said.