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Tue January 8, 2013
Aquidneck Island bike route pedals forward
(PROVIDENCE, RI) A bike route stretching the length of Aquidneck Island is closer to becoming a reality. A grant to create a design for an 18-mile route is currently being vetted by the Department of Environmental Management.
The route has been a cycling dream for years. It would guide riders from the Sakonnet River and Mt. Hope Bridges to Easton’s Beach in Newport. The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission first laid plans for the route back in 2005. Its President, Tina Dolen, says the grant would connect existing bike lanes into a seamless network.
“It’s really a way to do environmental travel," she says. "It’s a way to experience this gorgeous place that we live-in in a very immediate way."
Dolen says the DEM is vetting a grant for $75,000 to finish the design of the route. Dolen says the commission will pursue private funding if the state is unable to contribute to the plan. She expects the route to be completed in the next three years. The DEM will announce grant awards in late February.
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