6 PM Bourne Veterans Memorial Community Building Room 2
or via Zoom www.zoom.us ID: 890 0752 7858 Password: 602970

The Town Administrator's Advisory Committee on Pedestrian Bicycle Pathway discussed the possibility of asking MADOT to delay the advertising of construction bids for Phase 1 of the proposed Bourne Rail Trail. The current cost to the taxpayers of that mere ½ mile section of pathway has now risen to $10.1 million. The design for that rail-with-trail phase has been redesigned by MADOT and the Committee felt that it was important to share these changes with the public.

It is our belief that the Bourne Rail Trail will not be built without removal of the track. A rail-with-trail path would require new bridges over waterways and environmentally sensitive wetlands. It would entail the takings of the land of private parties, with likely litigation and at great cost. All the segments that run along the track would require an 8’ fence to separate the rail from the trail, which would be a barrier to coastal access for the town’s inland residents. It is now clear that the cost for such a trail would exceed $100 million.

The Committee has called a public meeting to discuss the redesign of Phase 1 for Wednesday, August 6 at 6:00 pm, at the Bourne Veterans Memorial Community Building, Room 2. Please consider attending and sharing your opinion of whether the Town should proceed with the redesigned Phase 1 of the trail, particularly if no other segment of the trail is likely to be built.