www.new-england-rail-trails.org

Washington Secondary Bicycle Path

Cranston Bike Path

Warwick Greenway

West Warwick Greenway

Coventry Greenway

Trestle Trail

Moosup Valley Trail

RI-CT State Line to Plainfield - 5 miles - gravel

Historic Railroad Mileage Chart

* Railroad Miles from Providence
Italics = not part of Rail-trail

From mileage chart in article #10 of The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1995.

The Washington Secondary Rail Line enters Rhode Island In Greene, RI, and travels through Coventry, West Warwick, Warwick, and Cranston to it's terminus at the Narragansett Brewery (no longer in operation) at the Providence city line. This trail is currently under construction and is being completed in pieces by the RIDOT with the cooperation of the RI National Guard. We are well on our way to having an uninterrupted greenway from the border of CT. to Providence.

<Sue Barker [[email protected]] April 19, 2001 9:24 AM>

Many sections of the East Coast Greenway are still in the planning or construction stages. Potential users are accordingly urged to check the Washington Secondary Bicycle Path section of the Bike RI Construction Update page on the RI-DOT Web Site before making travel plans for the RI sections of the Trail.

Maps

A map of the Coventry Greenway is available at the East Coast Greenway Web Site. This map also shows the the planned Trestle Trail. 

Relevant books

A 3 mile section of the Trail between Moosup and Sterling CT is briefly described in section C of  the Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy New England Guidebook by Cynthia Mascott published in 2000 by Globe Pequot Press. A 4.5 mile section of the trail within Cranston RI is briefly described in Section P of the book. 

The Trestle Trail (Coventry Center to CT border) is described in Great Rail Trails of the Northeast by Craig Della Penna. The information includes a historical background of the trail as well as a detailed description keyed to bicycle odometer readings from the author's in person trip down the trail. This book is out-of-print, but many bookstores still have copies for sale.

Newspaper Articles on the Web

• West Bay: Park envisioned to help revitalize Anthony (12.6.2000 08:33 - Providence Journal)
  A new park would be one ingredient in a revitalized Anthony. The remaining section of Coventry's Greenway will run into Anthony from the West Warwick line, bringing walkers and tourists into the village. Those people could patronize new stores and restaurants, which Narkawicz said the town will encourage to locate in Anthony. And street signs would show pedestrians through a historical walking tour of the village.

East Coast Greenway

This Rail-trail will be part of the East Coast Greenway, a multi-use trail that is planned from Maine to Florida. The East Coast Greenway has recently been selected as one of 15 trails for designation as a Millenium Trail, which should be very helpful in focusing public attention on all of the component trail projects.

Status Report to ECGA (2001 State of the Trail Report)

• Cranston Bike Path (ECG Section RI-3)
• Endpoints: Howard Street, Cranston to Warwick border
• Miles: 4.5
• Landscape: urban
• Jurisdiction: RIDOT
• Status: designated
• Condition: paved
• Funding allocated: $1.3 million
• Contact: Barry Fontaine, Dir. Cranston Parks & Rec, 401-461-1000

• Warwick Greenway (ECG Section RI-4)
• Endpoints: Cranston border toWest Warwick border
• Miles: 1.5
• Landscape: urban
• Jurisdiction: RI DOT
• Status: planning/design
• Condition: ungraded gravel/dirt surface; bridge needs repair
• Next step: complete design
• Funding allocated: $93,583
• Contact: Irish Reynolds. City Architect, 401-738-2000 ext. 6289

• West Warwick Greenway (ECG Section RI-5)
• Endpoints: Warwick border to Coventry border
• Miles: 2.8
• Landscape: urban
• Jurisdiction: RIDOT
• Status: designated
• Condition: I mile paved, 1.8 miles graded graveI/dirt surface
• Next step: complete paving
• Funding allocated: $1 million
• Contact: David Perry, Friends of the Greenway, 401-828-4811

• Coventry Greenway  (ECG Section RI-6)
• Endpoints: West Warwick border to Coventry Center
• Miles: 4.5
• Landscape: urban
• Jurisdiction: Town of Coventry
• Status: designated
• Condition: 2.25 miles paved, 2.25 miles gravel: 2 bridges reed redecking
• Next step: Pave the remainder, redeck the bridges
• Funding allocated: $1,198,000/various sources
• Contact: Guy Lefebvre, Coventry Parks & Rec, 401-822-9107

• Trestle Trail  (ECG Section RI-7)
• Endpoints: Coventry Center to CT border
• Miles: 10
•  Landscape: rural
• Jurisdiction: RIDEM
• Status: planning/design
• Condition: ungraded gravel/dirt surface, 7 bridges need redecking
• Next step: complete design
• Funding allocated: $3,000,000,TEA-21
• Contact: Lisa Lawless, RIDEM, 401-222-2776 x4312

I. Moosup Valley Trail

Endpoints: R~ line to Pa~nfie!d

Miles: 4 Landscape: runa~

Jurisdiction: CT DEP

Status: designated ~class B)

Condition: sand/dirt surE~ce

Next step: improve trail surface

Funding allocated: $50~0O0

Contact: Les~e Lewis, CT DE~860-424-3578~ason

Vincent, PlapnenTown of F’~ainfeld, 860-230-3028

The Moosup Valley Trail is open as a gravel path from the RI-CT State Line to River St in Plainfield.

Intercity Transportation Connections at Providence

• Amtrak Twilight Shoreliner (New York City, Washington DC  & Newport News VA) stops at Union Station on a daily basis. This train has bike racks and also handles bikes in boxes from other Amtrak trains that offer baggage service! RIPTA Gold Line Trolley offers a shuttle service that to Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal).
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Boston - Attleboro Commuter Rail stops at Union Station on weekdays only. Daily service is available at South Attleboro Station (just over the Pawtucket line). Bicycles are accommodated on commuter trains except on peak hour weekday trips (gray columns in timetable).
  • RIPTA Gold Line Trolley offers a shuttle service from Union Station to Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) on a daily basis. 
  • GATRA #12 and RIPTA #77 & #99 offer an connecting city bus service on Weekdays and Saturdays from South Attleboro & Attleboro Stations via Pawtucket to Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) that requires a 0.3 mile walk from Emerald Square Mall to Broadway & Benefit Sts.
  • RIPTA #77 & #99 offers a daily city bus service from Newport & Benefit St. (0.4 mile south of South Attleboro Station) via Pawtucket to Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal).
• Bonanza Bus Lines Boston Express bus stops at Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) on a daily basis.
• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) All city busses have bike racks on a seasonal basis!  
  • Numerous city bus routes to the Providence Metropolitan Area. 
  • Providence-Newport Ferry terminates at the Point Street Landing on a seasonal basis. RIPTA Gold Line Trolley offers a shuttle service that to Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal).
  • Route 60 offers city bus service between Newport and Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) via Bristol on a daily basis year-round.
  • Route 66 offers express bus service between Kingston-URI and Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) on a daily basis.
  • Routes #12 & 66 offers city bus service to the T.F. Green Airport on a daily basis.
• Greater Attleboro Taunton RTA (GATRA) Route #19 (Taunton-Providence) stops at Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal) on Weekdays & Saturdays. All GATRA city busses have bike racks! 
• Greater Attleboro Taunton RTA (GATRA) Route #12 (Attleboro-South Attleboro) stops at Emerald Square Mall on Weekdays & Saturdays. This stop is a 0.3 mile walk to the Broadway & Benefit stop of RIPTA Route #77 which in turn connects to Route 99 between Pawtucket and Kennedy Plaza (City Bus Terminal). All GATRA and RIPTA city busses have bike racks! 

Note that Kennedy Plaza is completely torn up at this time for the construction of a new city bus terminal. Accordingly all of the city bus routes have been changed slightly to terminate in a variety of nearby locations. Please consult the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Web Site for all of the current details! 

 Local transit to the rail-trail

Cranston

• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. All city busses have bike racks on a seasonal basis!
  • Route 31 (Cranston St) operates on a daily basis from Kennedy Plaza in Providence to Warwick Mall
    • stops near the north end of the trail at Howard & Cranston
    • operates parallel to the rail-trail on either Cranston or Oakdale streets from south of  Phenix to Wilbur Street

Warwick

• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. All city busses have bike racks on a seasonal basis!
  • Route 31 (Cranston St) offers a city bus service from Kennedy Plaza in Providence to Warwick Mall on a daily basis
  • Route 25 (Warwick Malls Express) offers non-stop service to Warwick Mall & RI Mall from Kennedy Plaza in Providence on Weekdays & Saturday.
  • Route 29 (Kent County West) stops at Warwick Mall on Weekdays and Saturdays.

Note that RIPTA Routes 31 and 29 can apparently be used on Weekdays and Saturdays to leapfrog the Warwick section of the trail (under construction). Southbound trail users should leave the trail at Wilbur Street to catch the Route 31 bus to Warwick Mall then transfer to the Route 29 bus to ride to the beginning of the West Warwick section near Providence & Tollgate. It is not clear whether the Route 13 bus also stops at Warwick Mall.

West Warwick

• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. All city busses have bike racks on a seasonal basis!
  • Route 13 (Artic - Washington) & Route 29 (Kent County West) from Kennedy Plaza in Providence offers a city bus service that roughly parallels the Rail-Trail on Weekdays and Saturdays. 
    • Westcott (Providence & Tollgate)
    • River Point
    • Artic-Centerville

Coventry

• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. All city busses have bike racks on a seasonal basis!
  • Route 13 (Artic - Washington) offers a city bus service from Kennedy Plaza in Providence that roughly parallels the Rail-Trail on Weekdays and Saturdays. 
    • Quidnick
    • Anthony
    • Washington

Railroad Abandonment Summary

Railroad History

A brief history of the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill RR was published as article #10  in The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1995.

Go to:

• www.new-england-rail-trails.org

• Rail-trails of Rhode Island

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