Vision of ECGA route in Rhode Island:
As it moves through Rhode Island sometime in the near future, the fully completed ECG will extend roughly 50 miles. Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the country, but the path's diversity will be anything but small.
A rider entering Rhode Island from Connecticut will spend a good deal of time, about 10 miles, in deep woods over tall trestles, past rivers and streams before moving into a more suburban setting. For most of this early journey, the rider likely will catch glimpses of people riding horseback on a mostly dedicate equestrian trail running parallel to the bike path. The rider then will move past ball fields, pass through old mill villages and criss-cross the Pawtuxet River many times, spotting waterfalls and enjoying great views from two tall and long bridges close to active manufacturing operations in old mills.
The path, after running dead east for almost 20 miles, turns north, and passes within reach of two large malls and one of the state's busiest shopping areas. Oddly, while near this heavy concentration of businesses, the path is quite wooded, almost resembling the deep woods of western Coventry at the beginning of the Cranston Bike Path. The path again visits suburbia before moving to the urban environs of Providence and Pawtucket, using on-road routes to connect the urban core and the bike paths.
The official ECGA route in Rhode Island includes an additional 20 miles of alternate route, which uses the state's oldest bike path, the East Bay Bike Path, to make connections in eastern Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. This route may someday provide a more direct connection to Boston. The path at present is a 14.5-mile north-south trail running from Providence to Bristol. The path could include a spur due east in Warren, to the Massachusetts border.
The existing East Bay Bike Path provides a wide variety of environments, passing rural, urban and suburban area. Starting in the south in Bristol, one pedals past a picturesque bay before passing marshy areas and a fantastic boardwalk leading through the marsh and to an environmental education center. The path also intersects a large waterfront park with its own 3-mile bike path network. Next, the rider travels over two long wooden bridges with great views before heading into moderately wooded corridors. The path comes out on the water again in East Providence, right on the coast with views of urban infrastructure, the Providence skyline and a stately lighthouse. The path passes over a bridge carrying highway traffic (slated to have its own bridge in the late 2000s) before ending at the scenic India Point Park. and
Heading out of the cities, one is back in tune with the combination of nature and old industry. Instead of the Pawtuxet, the river here is the Blackstone, part of a National Heritage Corridor designation by the National Park Service. The rider will hug the river for a long time, with views of old mills, waterfalls and canals that parallel the river. Then it's back to a more urban feel moving through Woonsocket and onto Blackstone, Mass. More rural experiences on ECG paths and designated on-road routes await as one moves north toward Worcester.
GARI Committee Chairwoman Sue Barker
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