YARMOUTH — The Beth Condon Memorial pathway on Route 1 will be extended by a half-mile and may include a separate project to replace the Interstate-295 bridge over Route 1.
According to project planners, construction on the $950,000 trail project will begin in 2022 along I-295 and cross from the west side of Route 1 to the east side at the recently installed traffic signal, which is approximately a half-mile.
The project is slated for completion in 2023.
Alex Jaegerman, the project manager overseeing the extension, said businesses along the extension route have been contacted and their interests will be incorporated in the planning.
Although traffic on Route 1 can be heavy, Jaegerman emphasized the safety measures being taken into consideration during the planning process.
Jaegerman was unable to provide exact details, but he estimates the path will be 10 to 12 feet wide, with a minimum of 5-foot buffer from the roadway.
“We want to make it as comfortable, accommodating, and safe as possible so we’ll be looking for opportunities to provide whatever buffer we can,” Jaegerman said.
As part of a separate project that hasn’t yet moved past the planning phase is the replacement of the Cousins River Bridge. Yarmouth Town Manager Nat Tupper said the project is tentatively being scheduled for sometime in 2022 and said, if approved, it will be completed soon after the trail extension is finished in 2023.
Jaegerman said his team is avoiding any impact on the coastal wetlands that take up much of the land around the trail, especially around the Cousins River Bridge.
“We (Yarmouth and Freeport) are collaborating and sharing the cost to make sure the pathway can cross the bridge safety,” Tupper said.
The 1.5-mile long trail was built and named in memory of teenager Beth Condon, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver while walking along Route 1 on Aug. 28, 1993. The path’s route has been extended in three phases over the decades; the latest development will be the fourth phase. After the extension is complete the trail will be just over 2 miles long.
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