By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff
BURRILLVILLE — A new way to travel between the Pascoag and Harrisville villages is now open, but if you’re in a car, you’re out of luck.Town and state officials recently cut the ribbon on a new bike path that runs between the two village centers. The path is about a mile and a quarter long, and traverses a 55-acre tract of land that has been preserved as open space as part of the deal that allowed the bike path to be built.
To say that the concept for this path has a long history is a bit of an understatement. The town’s original comprehensive plan, drafted in 1966, included the idea to turn much of the now-defunct railway into a scenic and recreational pathway.
The path was funded from a variety of sources, including $100,000 from the Recreational Trails Program — jointly administered by the state departments of Transportation and Environmental Management, $100,000 from DEM’s Passive and Park Recreational Grant program, $150,000 through 2004 state Open Space and Recreation bonds, and a bit more than $34,000 in surplus funds left over from a Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
“This project has taken quite a while to come to fruition," Town Council President Nancy Binns said. "People feel safe here and the path offers a chance to appreciate not only solitude, but a renewed sense of community.”
“It’s great to see communities still interested in recreation and preservation,” said Lisa Primiano, DEM’s deputy chief for planning and development, “and showing continued willpower for these projects despite financial challenges.”
Tom Kravitz, Burrillville’s director of planning and development, was visibly excited at the recent ribbon cutting. “I’ve been working on this project since 2004,” he said. “I’d like to offer special thanks to the Horsley Witten Group (engineers of the path) and Adlers Construction for their hard work on making this path a reality.
"Anyone in planning will tell you, bike paths usually cost about a million dollars a mile to build, not including the cost of purchasing the land. To have a bike path and 55 acres of land preserved for less than $400,000 is truly an accomplishment."
In addition to connecting the village centers of the two Burrillville hamlets, the path makes traveling on foot or bike a lot safer. The path allows an alternate to Route 107 for bikers and walkers. The snaky road has some blind curves and very few shoulder areas as it wends its way through town.
