Reported by us | South Coast

South Coast Bikeway: where the 50-mile route runs, what is paid for and where the gaps are

Transportation records and the bikeway alliance's own pages show which pieces of the bike route are built, which are under contract or scheduled, and which have no construction money, as Dartmouth and Marion residents weigh in next week.

By the SC360 Investigations Desk | Published Nov. 13, 2026 | Last verified Nov. 13, 2026, 1:58 p.m. ET

SOUTH COAST Updated 1:50 p.m. Nov. 13, 2026.

The planned 50-mile South Coast Bikeway from the Rhode Island line to Wareham is being built one town at a time, and the 9.8-mile stretch between Fall River and New Bedford, which the bikeway's backers call a key gap, has money only for preliminary design.

Four path projects on the route have construction money, about $30.7 million by South Coast 360's count of federal and state transportation records: Marion's first phase, which is under contract, a ramp and path in New Bedford, a path along Narrows Road and Minot Avenue in Wareham, and the next stretch of Mattapoisett's rail trail, which is not scheduled for construction until 2031.

Two meetings next week take up pieces of the route, as the team designing the Northern Scenic Greenway through Westport, Dartmouth and New Bedford meets the public Tuesday, Nov. 17, and Marion shows four possible routes for a Point Road path Wednesday, Nov. 18. Marion voters approved next steps for the town's path on Nov. 9, The Sippican Week reported, and Fairhaven reopened its rebuilt Phoenix Bike Trail in October, StreetsblogMASS reported.

What the bikeway is and who builds it

The South Coast Bikeway Alliance, a nonprofit of volunteers from the towns on the route, describes the bikeway as "a 50-mile continuous system of bike paths, multi-use paths and bike lanes connecting existing routes in Rhode Island to Cape Cod." It runs through Swansea, Somerset, Fall River, Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham, and it was named part of the East Coast Greenway's Providence to Provincetown route in 2011, the alliance says.

The alliance advocates for the route and works with the regional planning agency on grants and studies, it says, while the public money that builds the paths runs through government. The Southeastern Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization, staffed by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, or SRPEDD, assigns federal highway money through its Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, and MassDOT builds the projects, with each town responsible for design and for buying any land on the path projects in Marion, Wareham, Mattapoisett and Westport, MassDOT's project pages show.

Where it goes, from Rhode Island to Wareham

From the Warren, R.I., line, the route follows town roads across Swansea, where a large portion of the bike lanes, signed routes and 0.8-mile path the town built in the early 2000s now serves as the bikeway, according to the alliance. Somerset striped bike lanes on Brayton Avenue and Read Street in 2020 and plans to carry them on to the Swansea line, the alliance says.

In Fall River, the 2.5-mile Quequechan River Rail Trail runs from Route 6 at the Westport line along South Watuppa Pond toward downtown, the alliance says. The $115 million Route 79 and Davol Street rebuild, finished in October, added more than 2 miles of shared use paths by the waterfront, the governor's office said, and the regional TIP says its bicycle work closes "a critical gap" in the bikeway's route.

Westport plans a link of about 1,254 feet on a former rail bed from the end of that trail to Route 6 near Old Bedford Road. A $65,906 state MassTrails grant in 2024 paid for preliminary plans, and MassDOT estimates the construction contract at about $2 million, but the project sits on the TIP's supplemental list with no construction year.

East of there, the planned route is the Northern Scenic Greenway, about 9.8 miles through Westport, Dartmouth and New Bedford, according to the alliance, which shows it along Old Bedford Road in Westport, Old Fall River Road in Dartmouth and New Plainville Road in New Bedford. SRPEDD's 2021 "Closing the Gap" study picked it over a southern route, a Route 6 route and a rail corridor, and the three communities endorsed it in 2024, the alliance says. Pare Corp., an engineering firm, is doing its preliminary design, the alliance's meeting notice and its president say.

In New Bedford, the HarborWalk and CoveWalk on the hurricane barrier already carry riders around the South End, the alliance says, and MassDOT is designing a bike and pedestrian ramp and shared use path from Route 6 westbound down to MacArthur Drive, with construction listed for summer 2028. The regional TIP counts it among the projects that carry the bikeway's route.

Across the bridge, Fairhaven's Phoenix Bike Trail is the longest off-street piece of the bikeway, 3.1 miles from Main Street to the Mattapoisett line, the alliance says. The town's Board of Public Works set the start of work on it for May 4, WBSM reported, and the rebuilt trail, with new raised crosswalks downtown, reopened at a ribbon cutting Oct. 19, StreetsblogMASS reported.

Mattapoisett's rail trail picks up at the town line, where the 2-mile first phase from the Fairhaven line to Depot Street and the Shining Tides section along the harbor are open, along with a 0.64-mile "Marion Connector" at the end of Industrial Drive, according to the alliance. The gap in between is phase 2A, 1.1 miles from Depot Street to North Street, which MassDOT lists in preliminary design with construction in summer 2031, and phase 2B, about half a mile along Industrial Drive, which the alliance says is designed while the town seeks construction money.

Marion's first phase runs about 3.8 miles from the Mattapoisett line to Point Road, mostly on the old railroad and trolley bed, according to the town's 2024 fact sheet. MassDOT shows a winning bid of $5,607,201.60 and a notice to proceed dated Oct. 21, and its project page lists construction as beginning in autumn 2026, while the alliance says construction begins in spring 2027. The alliance also says a link to Wareham on the Weweantic River bridge is being explored along with MassDOT's Route 6 work, and MassDOT's page for replacing the Route 6 bridge over the river shows the job advertised for bids in 2024.

In Wareham, MassDOT's project page, in a status update dated Sept. 29, says its contractor is about to begin moving equipment in for a $6.8 million rebuild of Route 6 at Swifts Beach Road that adds bike and pedestrian accommodations, which the TIP counts as a section of the bikeway. The town's path beside Narrows Road and Minot Avenue is programmed for 2030, and MassDOT's page shows its 25% design package resubmitted in September 2025.

What it costs and who pays

How we counted: the $30.7 million adds Marion's winning bid to the amounts the TIP sets aside for the New Bedford, Wareham and Mattapoisett path projects. Marion's money would leave the TIP now that the job has been advertised, under an amendment the planning organization takes up Nov. 17, and the TIP figures for the others include an allowance for inflation. We left out road jobs that add bike lanes or paths as part of larger work, such as the Swifts Beach project, and anything without construction money.

State MassTrails grants have paid for design, land and repair work on pieces of the route, about $2.3 million in all by our count of the grants the TIP lists by town for 2020 through 2024 and the 2025 awards outlets reported.

The greenway study's Community Preservation shares follow each town's mileage, $25,000 from Dartmouth, $14,000 from New Bedford and $12,000 from Westport, Sandra Medeiros, the alliance's president, told South Coast 360 on Nov. 11. SRPEDD's 2021 study priced the northern route's main segments, 13.84 miles from the Fall River line in Westport to the Acushnet line in New Bedford, at about $17.8 million to build and $2.28 million to design, leaving out land and permitting. With most funding sources, it said, "costs associated with any right of way takings necessary are the sole responsibility of the municipality."

The state's MassTrails grant for the greenway, awarded to the South Coast Bikeway Alliance, totaled $285,000, Lisa Estrela-Pedro, SRPEDD's transportation planning manager, told South Coast 360 in an email Friday. SRPEDD handled procurement, contract negotiation and administration for the project, including the request for proposals for vendors and the invoicing among the funding parties, and it received $24,000 for that work, she said. Pare's scope of work includes a preliminary survey, design to the 10% stage and extensive public engagement, including site visits, for the route from Westport through Dartmouth to New Bedford, she said.

The debates in Dartmouth and Marion

In Dartmouth, the dispute centers on Old Fall River Road. A flyer residents shared on social media says the alliance "wants to take up to 25 feet of your front lawn to create a bikepath." At a June 18 Pathways Committee meeting, "many people spoke against the proposed Northern Scenic Greenway project, citing land takings, dangerous conditions, and disruption of a scenic byway," the minutes say, and committee members answered that only preliminary design was funded and that the project would have to go to the Select Board and Town Meeting for any money for further design or construction. A resident who does not live on the road said homeowners have been "feeling left in the dark," The Dartmouth Week reported.

Jessica Dastous, Dartmouth's communications manager and public information officer, said the 25 feet on the flyer is inaccurate. The drawings the alliance showed the Select Board in August were only concepts, and the town has received no designs and has not agreed to or been asked for any easements or takings, she said. The board is concerned about safety on that stretch and wants the study's findings and residents' views before it weighs in, she said. "No alternative designs have been produced," Medeiros said, and the drawings "have been misinterpreted out of context." The alliance's notice for the Nov. 17 meeting says the greenway is intended to create safer conditions on local roads between the three communities and that no preferred alternative has been selected.

In Marion, voters on Nov. 9 gave the Select Board control of town-owned land for the path and approved altered layouts of Washburn Park Road and Spring Street, The Sippican Week reported. Resident Jennifer Stewart raised concerns about a crosswalk in a high-speed spot and a tight 90-degree turn on Spring Street that emergency vehicles may find hard to take, the paper reported. Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman said the Route 6 and Route 105 intersection has Opticom traffic control upgrades and will get a dedicated left turn lane, and path engineer Jeramy Packard said a flashing beacon will stop traffic both ways at the crosswalk, which he said would be "about half the distance that you'd be crossing it today." Marion's four Point Road options, for a path that would run from Route 6 to the first phase at Point Road, would need from about 865 to 17,060 square feet of easements or land, its plans estimate, and they give no cost.

When it would be finished

MassDOT's page puts the start of Marion's construction this fall and the alliance puts it in spring 2027, and the records give a year for each of the other funded pieces: the New Bedford ramp in 2028, the Wareham path in 2030 and Mattapoisett's phase 2A in 2031. The greenway has no construction date: its preliminary design is due in June 2027 under the grant, The Dartmouth Week reported, and the alliance calls the timeline uncertain and says each community takes on final design and construction after that. In Dartmouth, the project would go to the Select Board, which would decide whether to move forward, Dastous said.

The greenway has no designated construction money but is eligible for money from the regional TIP, Estrela-Pedro said, and its right-of-way requirements will be confirmed during design, with the consultant setting the specifics as the design progresses. Pare Corp. and MassDOT, which South Coast 360 also asked on Nov. 11 about the design and any future construction money, had not answered by Friday afternoon.

How to weigh in

The Northern Scenic Greenway meeting runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the Dartmouth High School auditorium, 555 Bakerville Road, where Pare will share its survey and early cross sections, the alliance says. The planning organization meets on Zoom at 1 p.m. the same day, with public comment on its agenda. Marion's Point Road session is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Marion Music Hall, 164 Front St., and the Dartmouth Pathways Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in Room 315 at Town Hall, 400 Slocum Road.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The route, the communities and each town's built and planned pieces come from the South Coast Bikeway Alliance's own pages. Money, schedules and who designs and buys land come from the regional Transportation Improvement Program the planning organization endorsed May 19, its Amendment 1 for the Nov. 17 meeting and MassDOT's project pages, all read Nov. 13. Marion's path comes from its fact sheet, warrant, notice and plans, and the Dartmouth dispute from the Pathways Committee's minutes and from written answers Dartmouth and the alliance sent South Coast 360 on Nov. 11. The Sippican Week is credited for the Nov. 9 Marion votes and remarks, The Dartmouth Week for the June meeting and the June 2027 deadline, WSAR and the East Coast Greenway Alliance for the 2025 grant amounts, StreetsblogMASS for Fairhaven's reopening and WBSM for its start. MassDOT's Marion page lists an autumn 2026 start and the alliance says spring 2027, so the story gives both. The $30.7 million and $2.3 million totals are our own sums of figures in those records, explained in the story. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Nov. 17 is a Tuesday, Nov. 18 a Wednesday and Oct. 21 a Wednesday. SRPEDD answered our Nov. 11 questions by email on Nov. 13, through Lisa Estrela-Pedro, its transportation planning manager, and her answers on the grant, SRPEDD's role and fee, Pare's scope, right of way and construction money are worked into the story. Not heard yet: Pare Corp. and MassDOT, asked Nov. 11; their answers will be added here.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (43)

1. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, home pageThe 50-mile description and the Northern Scenic Greenway summary. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
2. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, AboutThe 10 communities, the existing segments, the nonprofit, SRPEDD and the 2011 East Coast Greenway designation. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
3. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, SwanseaThe route by street, the early 2000s network, the 0.8-mile path, 2013 signs. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
4. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, SomersetBrayton Avenue and Read Street lanes, phase 1 completed 2020. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
5. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, Fall RiverThe 2.5-mile Quequechan River Rail Trail. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
6. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, WestportWatuppa Connector, 1,254 feet, $65,906 MassTrails 2024; Old Bedford Road. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
7. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, DartmouthOct. 15, 2024 Town Meeting vote; 5.4-mile Dartmouth section. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
8. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, New BedfordHarborWalk, CoveWalk, RiverWalk, New Plainville Road. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
9. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, FairhavenThe 3.1-mile Phoenix Bike Trail, the Route 6 bridge crossing. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
10. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, MattapoisettPhases 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and the Marion Connector. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
11. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, MarionPhase 1 bid dates, spring 2027 construction, the Weweantic link. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
12. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, WarehamNarrows Road and Minot Avenue on the 2030 schedule, once 2024; Route 6 to Chapel Street. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
13. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, Northern Scenic Greenway project pageRoute, 9.8 miles, endorsement, funding sources, timeline and community responsibility. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
14. South Coast Bikeway Alliance, Northern Scenic Greenway public meeting noticePosted Nov. 4, 2026. Tue. Nov. 17, 6 to 8 p.m., Dartmouth High School auditorium. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
15. South Coast Bikeway Alliance release on the Nov. 17 meeting, posted by the Town of DartmouthFile dated Nov. 9, 2026. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
16. Southeastern Massachusetts MPO, FFY2027-2031 Transportation Improvement Program (file titled Draft April 14, 2026)Linked on the SRPEDD TIP page as the TIP endorsed May 19, 2026. Pages 76 to 81 (grant table), 103 (South Coast Bikeway narrative), 113, 114, 116 and 117 (607979, 612263, 607825, 614043), 147 to 149 (supplemental lists). Read Nov. 13, 2026.
17. SRPEDD, Transportation Improvement Program pageThe May 19, 2026 endorsement and the amendment files. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
18. SMMPO, FFY2027-2031 TIP Amendment 1, prepared for the Nov. 17, 2026 meetingRemoves 607979 from FFY2027 because it was advertised in FFY2026. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
19. SMMPO agenda, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, 1 p.m., ZoomPublic comment and the Amendment 1 vote. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
20. MassDOT project 607979, Marion shared use path, phase 1Bid $5,607,201.60; contract 136415 notice to proceed Oct. 21, 2026; municipal design and right of way. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
21. MassDOT project 612263, New Bedford bicycle and pedestrian ramp, Route 6 westbound to MacArthur DriveConstruction summer 2028; 25% package Dec. 3, 2025. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
22. MassDOT project 607825, Wareham shared use path adjacent to Narrows Road and Minot AvenueConstruction spring 2030; 25% package resub 2 as of Sept. 8, 2025; municipal design and right of way. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
23. MassDOT project 614043, Mattapoisett shared use path, Depot Street to North Street (phase 2A)Preliminary design; construction summer 2031; municipal design and right of way. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
24. MassDOT project 610647, Wareham corridor improvements on Route 6 at Swifts Beach RoadBid $6,824,300; status as of Sept. 29, 2026. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
25. MassDOT project 613703, Westport shared use path, Quequechan Rail Trail extensionPreliminary design; estimated contract $2,047,500; municipal design and right of way. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
26. MassDOT project 605311, Marion and Wareham Route 6 bridge replacement over the Weweantic RiverRead Nov. 13, 2026.
27. SRPEDD, "Closing the Gap" Phase 2 feasibility study (June 2021)Table 1 northern route main segments, 13.84 miles, $17,794,137.81 construction and $2,279,133.94 design; right of way method. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
28. Dartmouth Pathways Committee, minutes of June 18, 2026Read Nov. 10, 2026.
29. Dartmouth Pathways Committee, agenda for Nov. 19, 2026Read Nov. 10, 2026.
30. Jessica Dastous, communications manager and public information officer, Town of Dartmouth: email to South Coast 360Received 9:54 a.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
31. Sandra Medeiros, president, South Coast Bikeway Alliance: email to South Coast 360Received 1:33 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
32. Lisa Estrela-Pedro, transportation planning manager, Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District: email to South Coast 360SRPEDD's role and $24,000, the $285,000 MassTrails grant, Pare's scope, right of way, construction funding. Received 1:37 p.m. Nov. 13, 2026.
33. Town of Marion, Notice of Public Information Session: Point Road Shared Use PathPosted Nov. 12, 2026. Wed. Nov. 18, 6 p.m., Marion Music Hall. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
34. TEC, Inc. for the Town of Marion, Point Road shared use path alternativesEasement or land estimates of 930, 865, 7,550 and 17,060 square feet; no cost. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
35. Town of Marion, shared use path fact sheet, Jan. 31, 2024About 3.8 miles from the Mattapoisett line to Point Road on the former railroad and trolley bed. Read Nov. 12, 2026.
36. Town of Marion, Special Town Meeting warrant, Nov. 9, 2026Articles S1 and S2. Read Nov. 3, 2026.
37. The Sippican Week, "Marion Town Meeting approves shared use path next steps, sewer upgrade"The Nov. 9 votes, Jennifer Stewart, Geoffrey Gorman and Jeramy Packard. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
38. The Dartmouth Week, "Tensions escalate over Northern Scenic Greenway bikepath project," by Abby Van SelousPublished June 19, 2026. Residents at the June 18 meeting, the June 2027 deadline and the Medeiros quote. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
39. WSAR, "Bike path from Fall River to New Bedford? State grant funding could make it happen," by Pete BraleyOctober 2025; $285,000 award. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
40. East Coast Greenway Alliance, "Massachusetts awards $2 million in support of East Coast Greenway and adjacent projects"The 2025 MassTrails awards: $285,000 Northern Scenic Greenway, $500,000 Phoenix Rail Trail. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
41. StreetsblogMASS, "Fairhaven Celebrates Renovations To Its Phoenix Rail Trail"Published Nov. 5, 2026. Oct. 19 ribbon cutting, raised crosswalks, 2025 MassTrails and Community Preservation money. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
42. WBSM, "Construction Begins on Fairhaven Rail Trail, Causing Temporary Closures," by Michaela JohnsonPublished May 4, 2026, quoting the Town of Fairhaven. Read Nov. 13, 2026.
43. Fall River Reporter, publishing the governor's office release on the Route 79 and Davol Street completionOct. 28, 2026. $115 million; more than 2 miles of shared use paths. Read Oct. 28, 2026.

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