Bike Path Construction Resumes in Mattapoisett

If all goes well, a bike path extension that will let cyclists and pedestrians travel safely between Fairhaven and Mattapoisett could be complete by the end of the calendar year.

After construction was halted during the coronavirus shutdown, work on the Mattapoisett bike path project has resumed again, according to Sippican Week.

Town Administrator Michael Lorenco delivered an update on the project's status at a July 14 Selectboard meeting and said the path extension from Mattapoisett Neck Road over the Mattapoisett River salt marshes to Reservation Road is nearly complete, the newspaper reported. The salt marsh bridge is currently being decked with wooden boards, and work will continue throughout the summer. Lorenco said for insurance and safety reasons, there is currently no access to that section of the path, which remains blocked off with chain link fences and signs prohibiting entry.

Heading east, the bike path bridge from Reservation Road over the West Channel of Eel Pond will probably be decked this fall, the weekly newspaper reports. That section of the path will land on Goodspeed Road in Mattapoisett, a dead-end way that has already been paved and reconstructed for the bike path project.

Eventually, the plan is to extend the bike path into Marion. The path follows the route of the old Fairhaven Branch Railroad and runs roughly parallel to Route 6.