Construction has closed sections of the East Bay Bike Path and the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Bikeway. A long-term closure of a section of the Coventry Greenway and periodic weekday closures of the Blackstone River Bikeway are scheduled in 2012.
The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition is hosting Bike to Work Day on May 18, 2012 from 6:30 - 10:30 a.m. at the World War I Memorial on South Main Street in Providence. Attendees will receive a complementary breakfast! Those looking to have a display at the event should click here.
The Coalition for Transportation Choices is encouraging Rhode Island school children to walk and bike to school whenever possible. The annual International Walk to School Day takes place each fall, typically in October. For more information, contact Eugenia Marks at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island at 949-5454 ext 3003, or e-mail her at emarks@asri.org.
The General Nathanael Greene Homestead on Taft Street in Coventry occasionally schedules historical reenactments with simulated musket and cannon fire. The Homestead is located close to the bikeway where it crosses Laurel Avenue in the Anthony section of Coventry.Visit the Homestead's website to learn more.
As warmer weather arrives, RIDOT encourages motorists to learn more about sharing the road with cyclists. Download this great brochure.
Bring your bike on public transit to make it easier to ride to work, school or just to extend your ride and visit new places. Bike racks are on all RIPTA buses and bikes are allowed on MBTA commuter rail trains during off-peak hours.
Point Judith and Block Island (Interstate Navigation). Year round service.
In memory of Frank J. Cabral, who died after being hit by a car while bicycling on Route 1 in Charlestown, this law requires motorists to drive a safe distance from bicyclists. View the law here or read a recent article from the Providence Journal about the new law.
RIDOT, the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program, and the Safe Routes to School Steering Committee are working together to help more children walk and ride to school safely. Click on the image above to learn more or download the latest project status report (March 2012).
RI Department of Environmental Management Recreational Trails Program
Wearing a bike helmet: Printable instructions for boys and girls from the Rhode Island Department of Health's Injury Prevention program.
A community event to honor George Redman took place on November 29, 2011 at the State House. Governor Lincoln D. Chafee, RIDOT Director Michael Lewis, RIDEM Director Janet Coit and more than 150 others celebrated Mr. Redman's tireless advocacy to getting the East Bay Bike Path built. The path kick started bike path projects statewide, leaving a unique legacy for residents and visitors to Rhode Island.
Rhode Island has become a leader in providing bike paths, bike lanes and bike routes to its residents and visitors. Today there are more than 50 miles of paved bike paths in Rhode Island and more than 40 miles of paths under design.
Additionally, RIDOT has identified more than 120 miles of roadway as bike routes that are most suitable for cycling.
Some of Rhode Island’s longer bike paths – the Blackstone River Bikeway, the Washington Secondary and East Bay Bike Path – are part of an ambitious effort from the Rhode Island-based East Coast Greenway Alliance to create a contiguous bike path from Maine to Florida. Among the 15 states the East Coast Greenway would pass through, Rhode Island is a leader in getting its segments of bikeway built.
Note: Construction has closed sections of the following paths (click on the links to learn more):
New bike maps are in!
The 2011-12 edition of the Guide to Cycling in the Ocean State is now available. You can get yours by downloading a copy here or by requesting a printed map. Copies can be ordered by calling RIDOT's Customer Service office at (401) 222-2450
or by clicking here to complete an online request form.
The files below are saved as Adobe Acrobat files. Click here for the free reader if you don't have it installed on your computer.
Guide to Bicycling in the Ocean State 2011-2012 - Statewide Map
Guide to Bicycling in the Ocean State 2011-2012 - Information Side
In the past 20 years, RIDOT has built an impressive network of bike paths, offering more than 50 miles of off-road cycling in all regions of the state. Some segments carry the route of the East Coast Greenway, a proposed 3,000-mile bike path from Maine to Florida. Rhode Island is a leader among East Coast states in getting its segments of the East Coast Greenway built.
Click on the links below to learn more about each path and to download individual bike maps and parking information:
* = Local segments include the Coventry Greenway, the West Warwick Greenway, the Warwick Bike Path and the Cranston Bike Path.
RIDOT has constructed more than 50 miles of off-road bike paths throughout Rhode Island. Typically the Department has one or more bike path projects under construction each year and is constantly doing study and design work on new potential bike paths and bike path extensions. At right, cyclists enjoy the opening of a new segment of the William C. O'Neill (South County) Bike Path on July 27, 2011. See more! View a slideshow of images from the dedication.
Cyclists and pedestrians are asked not to use a bike path that is under construction as safety hazards may exist.
A segment of the Blackstone River Bikeway may be closed periodically in 2012 due to overhead bridge work on the Blackstone Viaduct, which carries I-295 over the Blackstone River and the bikeway.
The closures are planned to occur from April to June on weekdays only, with the path reopening each afternoon. No weekend or holiday closures are planned. Below is the post recent closure information:
The closures are necessary for the safety of path users during a rehabilitation project for the Interstate bridge.
A segment of the Coventry Greenway is scheduled to close in 2012 and will remain closed into 2013 for reconstruction of the existing bikeway from Station Street to the area of Town Farm Road. Many improvements will be made including a new riding surface and the inclusion of a parallel equestrian trail beginning at the Coventry Greenway parking lot just west of the intersection of Route 117 (Flat River Road) and Abbotts Crossing Road.
Additionally, RIDOT will be building a shade platform adjacent to the path in the village of Anthony, near the intersection of Pilgrim Avenue and Laurel Avenue. The Department also will be building a canoe/kayak launch upstream of the Laurel Avenue Bridge, also in the Anthony section of Coventry.
The exact closure date has yet to be announced. Information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Sewer work by the City of East Providence closed a 2.5-mile portion of the East Bay Bike Path on November 1, 2011. This segment of bikeway, from the bike path parking lot on Veterans Memorial Parkway to Riverside Square, is scheduled to reopen on May 16, 2012.
Click here for more information or see the map below.
Cyclists should also be wary of construction vehicles crossing the path to the former Chevron Fuel Terminal. This is located on the bikeway along Veterans Memorial Parkway in the area of Lion Avenue in East Providence.
A portion of the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Bikeway in Providence is closed through early 2013 for a Narragansett Bay Commission sewer project. A signed detour has been established that follows Sheridan Street to Manton Avenue to an access road just west of Riverdale Street that will bring riders back to the path. Click here for the detour map or here for more information.
The replacement of the Pawtucket River Bridge will impact many city streets, including those commonly used by cyclists. Effective February 14, 2011, a portion of Taft Street and Pleasant Street under the I-95 overpass has been closed with detours established for each street.
The Iway project is moving into its final phases, which means the old I-195 will be torn down and city streets rebuilt. RIDOT is working with the City of Providence on proposals for city street restoration, which include strong bicycle and pedestrian components.
View copies of the design plans for the entire corridor, as well as the Wickenden Street area.
RIDOT and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council are working collaboratively to create an on-road signed bike route to connect the Blackstone River Bikeway to the East Bay Bike Path. This route is suitable for experienced cyclists and shares the roadway with vehicles.
RIDOT is working with the R.I. Department of Environmental Management to make several improvements to the bike path network at Colt State Park in Bristol.
The plans call for new bikeway segments to better connect with Route 114 (Hope Street) and the East Bay Bike Path. Some existing path segments will be resurfaced and period lighting will be installed along Asylum Road.
Click on the map at right to download a PDF file showing the proposed improvements.
Studies completed for future bike path projects
Blackstone Bikeway Segment 3 video - Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket (near the Visitor's Center) to Heritage Park, Cumberland.
Map of the Blackstone River Bikeway
Renderings of the bike/pedestrian pathway that will be part of the new Sakonnet River Bridge.
Safe Routes to School is a RIDOT funded program designed to reach out to communities to develop programs and projects to promote walking to school. As a result of various state and local pilot programs over the last few years, federal legislation establishing Safe Routes to School programs in every state was passed. Eligible activities include:
Infrastructure projects that will substantially improve the ability of students to walk and bicycle to school. Examples include crosswalks, sidewalks and repairs, traffic calming, etc
Non-infrastructure related programs and activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school. Examples include: Traffic enforcement, "Walking School Buses", walking clubs, bike rodeos, etc.
Please visit Statewide Planning’s Safe Routes to School website for more information.
Bicycling Street Smarts: Riding Confidently, Legally and Safely
League of American Bicyclists: Rules of the Road
Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition
RIDOT Opens Next Segment of the Coventry Greenway: October 14, 2010
William C. O'Neill/South County Bike Path Starting Next Phase: July 29, 2010
RIDOT, Town of Warren Open Warren Bike Path: June 10, 2010
Segment of Coventry Greenway closed during construction: July 31, 2009
RIDOT begins maintenance project for East Bay Bike Path: June 8, 2009
"Team RIDOT" to Bike to Work Friday: May 14, 2009
RIDOT joins forces with Narragansett Bay Wheelmen to update State bike map: May 11, 2009
RIDOT opens next segment of Blackstone River Bikeway: May 4, 2009
Washington Bridge bike path reopens to cyclists: April 30, 2009
Click
here to send questions or comments to Rhode Island's
Bike Coordinator.
Last updated May 14, 2012
