Coastal Trails Coalition Receives $5000 award for Plum Island Bike Lanes
June 23, 2005 (Newburyport, MA) … The Coastal Trails Coalition (CTC) announces that it has received a $5,000 grant from Bikes Belong for the construction of bike and pedestrian lanes along the Plum Island Turnpike. Extending from Union Street in Newburyport to the intersection of the turnpike and Old Point Road in the Newbury section of Plum Island, the lanes will greatly improve safety and increase bicycle and pedestrian access to and from the beaches and recreational facilities on Plum Island. 
To be constructed in conjunction with the ongoing Plum Island water and sewer project, the proposed bike and pedestrian lanes will provide 2.2 miles of dedicated separate travel lanes on both sides of the heavily trafficked two-lane causeway. To accommodate the lanes, the causeway road will be widened by 1 – 4 feet in some locations, with all work conforming to all federal and state design guidelines. Total project cost is estimated to be $115,000 and will be funded separately from the water and sewer project. To date, approximately $80,000 of the project cost has been raised, including grants from Bikes Belong and the Recreation Trails Program of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as well as funds from the City of Newburyport.
“With the growing popularity of its beaches and bird watching and other recreational activities at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Audubon sites, more visitors and area residents are seeking alternative means of accessing the area’s recreational destinations,” said Bill Steelman, Director of Preservation for the Essex National Heritage Commission and CTC interim president. “Currently the causeway is quite treacherous for pedestrians and cyclists to travel. The Plum Island Bike Lanes Project addresses the increasing demand to improve safety and provide bicycle and pedestrian access to and from Plum Island amenities.”
The Plum Island bike lanes are part of the CTC’s 30-mile public system of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the communities of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport and Salisbury. For more information about the Coastal Trails Coalition, visit the website at www.coastaltrails.org.
-- ## --
Bikes Belong is the national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working together to put more people on bicycles more often. Through national leadership, grassroots support, and promotion, we work to make bicycling safe, convenient, and fun. Bikes Belong has funded close to 100 grant proposals totaling $848,460 and leveraging more than $431 million dollars in federal, state, and private funding. The facilities projects alone have helped finance nearly 700 miles of bike paths and trails and linked more than 4,000 miles of trail facilities. For more information about Bikes Belong Coalition, visit www.bikesbelong.org.
The Coastal Trails Coalition (CTC) is composed of citizens, organizations and communities of the Lower Merrimack Valley. Its mission is to advocate for a public system of interconnected bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the region’s unique coastal features with town centers, neighborhoods, and transportation hubs. The Coalition receives technical assistance and support from the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program, the Essex National Heritage Commission and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. For more information, visit www.coastaltrails.org.
For immediate release
Contact:
Sally Carlson
SC Communications
978-465-2135
Bill Steelman
Essex National Heritage Commission
978-740-0444
