Bourne Bike Path Group Confronts Resident Opposition
By MICHAEL J. RAUSCH Nov 30, 2022
After four years and countless hours of research and development, the group charged with coming up with a way to connect the Shining Sea Bikeway in North Falmouth with the canal service road at the Cape Cod Canal faces its toughest critics within the confines of the Town of Bourne. Residents appear uncertain as to whether the 6.5-mile extension should be built.
Resident opposition to the project was on display during a public information session held inside the Bourne High School library on November 14. The meeting was held to better educate residents about phase 4 of the project, which would run through Cataumet to the bikeway in Falmouth.
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Committee chairman David J. McPherson fielded a number of questions from Bourne residents who were primarily from Cataumet. Many questioned the project’s design, which is being done in four phases.
Phase 1 goes from Bell Road to Monument Neck Road. Phase 2 stretches south from Monument Neck Road to Monks Cove in Pocasset. Phase 3 would extend from Monks Park to the Shore Road overpass bridge on Shipyard Lane by Kingman Yacht Center. Phase 4 would run from Shipyard Lane to the Falmouth town line.
Attendees were apprehensive over the plan to construct phases 1 and 4 first, then tackle the more challenging aspects of the project, phases 2 and 3. Some residents expressed concern over the fact that the beginning and end portions would be completed, but not the middle sections.
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Other people attacked the project’s plan to run the bike path through Washington Square Park. Critics cited concerns for the safety of elderly residents of Cataumet who frequent the area, especially in the warmer weather. Committee member Mark Emmons reminded people that the committee is solely an advisory body, focused on working out the logistics of “a challenging, engineering feat to have the rail in conjunction with the trail.”
“We’re just trying to work through the problems of trying to get a bike trail that has been identified as something that is going to be beneficial to the citizens of Bourne,” Mr. Emmons said.
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Chief among the discussion points during the meeting were the were the train tracks themselves. Residents questioned their utility and why they cannot be taken up to make room for the bike path, rather than run the path alongside as planned. Resident George A. Seaver noted that, according to military officials, removal of the tracks could result in the closure of Joint Base Cape Cod and the potential loss of thousands of jobs.
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Base officials have previously expressed the Department of Defense’s position that the tracks are necessary in the interest of national defense. At present, the tracks service the trash train that unloads at the Upper Cape Transfer Station, and the Cape Cod Dinner Train.
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Attention was also given to placement of the tracks, with some residents asking if they could be moved, ideally to the other side of MacArthur Boulevard, which is base property. Mr. McPherson said it is his understanding that base officials are in favor of that idea.
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“My understanding is the military is interested in that option, but the question is, is there money available and can it happen?” Mr. McPherson said, advising attendees to reach out to Congressman William R. Keating (D-Bourne) to get the ball moving in that direction.
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The question was also raised as whether the bike trail could be moved to the base side of MacArthur Boulevard. Residents said there could be easy access via Route 151, and all the obstacles currently facing the project, from constructing new bridges over waterways and marshes to potentially impacting homeowners and their properties, could be avoided.
Mr. McPherson said that in his opinion, the bike path would not be used as much if shifted to the other side of the highway. He admitted that it would be easier and cheaper to build, but added that he is “pretty comfortable in saying far few people would use it.”
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“I know in the past the Cape Cod Commission has looked at that issue,” he said. “I think it’s a question of public use, and public use going along the landfill and MacArthur Boulevard would be minimal.”
One of the most severe critics of the project, specifically of its design, was Cataumet resident John York. Mr. York took issue with a number of aspects of the design, notably a 6-feet-high chain link fence running along the path to prevent people from crossing the train tracks. Mr. McPherson said that Mass Coastal Railroad, which owns the tracks, was adamant about installing the fence.
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Mr. York disagreed with placing the bike path on the side of the tracks closer to the water. He suggested that constructing the path on the east side of the tracks provides better access to places like the Parrot Bar & Grille and the neighboring miniature golf course facility, as well as businesses in Monument Beach and Gray Gables Market.
Mr. York added that the bike path will take a long time to get completed, noting that the Shining Sea Bikeway took Falmouth 30 years to build. He said the project is a marathon and the committee is sprinting out of the gate, “a big mistake.”
“I see you guys trying to finish the project now, get the details nailed down now when it’s not even going to be built for a long time,” Mr. York said, “and you have a lot of work to do, so, I think we should be working towards a better outcome than what we currently have.”
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Mr. McPherson assured Mr. York that achieving the best outcome with the project was why the informational session was scheduled, so the committee could hear from the public. He did not relish being on the hot spot to answer questions about the project, he said, “but it’s a process.”
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“We’ve been at it for four years, and we’ll probably be at it for more than four more years,” he said, “and that’s the whole reason we’re here.”