Four MassTrails Grants were awarded for projects along the South Coast Bikeway. Thank you, MassDCR, for supporting its completion. Funding awarded for the Westport, Mattapoisett, Marion, and Wareham projects will help us connect our South Coast communities with safe pathways for recreation and transportation. For project details and award amounts, please visit the Mass.gov award document.
grants
South Coast Bikeway receives MassTrails grant
Press Release
Principal Transportation Planner SRPEDD
88 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780
jjones@srpedd.org
508-844-3661
SCBA AND SRPEDD RECEIVES 2020 MASSTRAILS GRANT FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY
Southeastern Massachusetts, July 31, 2020 – The South Coast Bikeway Alliance (SCBA) and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) are pleased to announce that they have been awarded a 2020 MassTrails Grant. The grant, totaling $40,000 will fund Phase II of a feasibility study examining routing of the South Coast Bikeway between Fall River and New Bedford, through Westport and Dartmouth.
The South Coast Bikeway, once realized, will be a 50-mile continuous system of paths and bike lanes that will connect Rhode Island to Cape Cod. Cities and towns included in this plan are Swansea, Somerset, Fall River, Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham. The Feasibility Study will help determine the best route to close a gap that has long existed in the East Coast and MA trail networks between the Gateway Cities of Fall River and New Bedford. It will also examine critical links within Dartmouth and Westport and with the anticipated South Coast Rail Commuter Rail Project.
This project will continue to build on the work being completed by SRPEDD under Phase I, which was funded by SCBA and the individual municipalities of Westport, Dartmouth and New Bedford through Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. The SCBA has also received a generous donation from Bay Coast Bank in the amount of $10,000 towards the study.
“We are very excited and grateful to the MassTrails Program and everyone involved for this opportunity to continue to work towards closing this very critical gap in the South Coast Bikeway network,” said Jackie Jones, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator at SRPEDD.
The SCBA is a non-profit organization made up of community representatives and groups that work with local leaders and organizations to advocate for and build the networks of bikeways throughout the South Coast region. The SCBA’s overall goal is to promote active transportation and recreation.
SRPEDD is the regional planning agency for the 27 communities that make up the Southeastern Massachusetts Region. Governed by a Commission of local officials and citizens, SRPEDD plans for the region’s land use, transportation, economy and environment while assisting member cities and towns to operate more efficiently. SRPEDD seeks to be a regional resource – a servant of local public servants and
community groups, connecting the dots between local municipal needs and the funding, community outreach, and proactive planning resources that can address them.
MassTrails grants support the state’s vast network of trails with projects dedicated to the construction, maintenance, and improvements for a variety of public trails, including hiking trails, bikeways, and shared-use paths. Funding for MassTrails Grants comes from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) capital budget, and from the motor fuel excise tax on off-road vehicles including ATV’s and snowmobiles, which is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Surface Transportation Act, in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). All MassTrails Grant applications have been reviewed in consultation with an inter-agency MassTrails Team and the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board (MARTAB).
This is the SCBA’s second successful MassTrails grant, following a $6,800 Trails Education Grant in 2017
For more information please visit the South Coast Bikeway Alliance’s website, www.southcoastbikeway.com. More information on the project can be found at the project’s interactive workshop page - https://scba-feasibility-study-srpedd.hub.arcgis.com/.
The SCBA and SRPEDD would like to congratulate fellow South Coast MassTrails grant recipients including the town of Mattapoisett, the City of New Bedford and the town of Wareham.
Trail Building Wokshops grant
SCBA Trail Building Workshops
The South Coast Bikeway Alliance is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a 2017 Massachusetts Department of Recreation (DCR) Recreational Trail Building Grant. This “Trail Documentation, Stewardship and Skills Training” grant will engage people from all of the communities along the South Coast to take part in a series of workshops. These workshops will be taught by Peter S. Jensen & Associates.
The SCBA asks those who register for these free workshops pledge to volunteer one hour of service on the South Coast Scenic Greenway or other SCBA project in exchange for each hour of classroom hour attended.
Learn more and register your interest in participating in the Trail Building Workshops #1 & #2 below. Workshop #3 will occur in spring 2018. Participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis with preference to residents of the South Coast Bikeway communities. This is a regionally focused grant and the participants should show a good representation of the region.
South Coast Bikeway Alliance gets state Recreational Trail Building Grant
By Aimee Chiavaroli, achiavaroli@s-t.com
Posted Jul 9, 2017 at 7:01 PM Updated Jul 9, 2017 at 7:02 PM
The South Coast Bikeway Alliance was recently awarded a Recreational Trail Building Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Recreation, allowing people in SouthCoast communities to participate in various workshops.
The “Trail Documentation, Stewardship and Skills Training” grant will allow for workshops including GPS trail mapping, sustainable trail development and specialty skills training in stonework, carpentry and chainsaw work.
According to a news release, this is the nonprofit organization’s first step in a long term plan to work with stakeholders throughout the SouthCoast to build a network of on and off road trails connecting communities for recreational and alternative transportation.
Workshops are set to begin in the fall and could run through next spring. The workshops will be general in nature and applicable to any trail project.
An informational meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m. July 17 at Dartmouth Town Hall, room 315. Those interested in learning about trail building workshops are encouraged to attend. The workshops are designed for small groups, so space is limited. To reserve a spot, attend the meeting or contact the Bikeway Alliance on its website (southcoastbikeway.com) or Facebook page (facebook.com/southcoastbikeway).
Erin Amadon from Peter S. Jensen & Associates is scheduled to give a brief presentation to explain what the workshops would involve and who can benefit from them. In addition, she’ll provide examples of workshops that have been done in the past and explain what people can do with their skills acquired through the workshops.
The South Coast Bikeway Alliance is made up of community representatives and groups that work with local leaders and organizations to advocate for and build the networks of bikeways throughout the SouthCoast region. Its’ overall goal is to promote active transportation and recreation.
The South Coast Bikeway is set to be a 50-mile continuous system of bike paths or multi-use paths and bike lanes connecting Rhode Island to Cape Cod. Several segments of the bikeway already exist in Swansea, Fall River, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Wareham. The Bikeway is a regional priority as outlined in the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District’s 2016 Regional Transportation Plan.