WHITINSVILLE – Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor’s mission to continue expanding the Blackstone River Greenway/Bikeway has gained momentum. At town meetings on May 15, Uxbridge and Sutton residents voted in favor of authorizing local officials in both towns to negotiate easements that help pave the way for extending the Blackstone River Greenway/Bikeway in their communities. 

In Uxbridge, residents voted in favor of granting authority to the Select Board to negotiate mutually agreeable access easements on public parcels. Additionally, the passage of the article will allow a Greenway/Bikeway over or along the existing water/sewer infrastructure where the proposed extension of the existing Blackstone River Greenway will run. The vision for the 3.5-mile expansion would bring it from Adams Street in south Uxbridge to Depot Street in the center of town.

 A view of the Blackstone River Greenway in Uxbridge, where it currently ends on Adams Street.

In Sutton, residents voted to authorize the Select Board to convey a parcel of Town-owned land in exchange for trail and bicycle path easements that will allow passage of the Blackstone River Bikeway on Blackstone Street, near the Singing Dam. 

 “The Blackstone Heritage Corridor Board is very appreciative of the work and leadership of Town officials and the support of Town Meeting voters in both Uxbridge and Sutton for their commitment to extending the Blackstone River Bikeway. These strong expressions of public support from Valley residents move this long-planned project closer to reality,” Blackstone Heritage Corridor Board Chair Richard T. Moore stated after the Town Meetings. “We look forward to continued partnership with local officials and voters in our efforts to improve recreational opportunities in the Valley as we work to complete what will one day be a 48-mile bikeway from Worcester to Providence,” he added.

The Blackstone Heritage Corridor will continue to work with state and federal partners to secure funding for the design and, later, construction of these segments of the path through the Valley.  

“Most communities where bikeways have been constructed consider them to be genuine assets for their residents as well as visitors to the region,” Moore noted. “They provide opportunities for outdoor recreation through historic downtowns and beautiful views of our natural surroundings.”

To learn more about the Blackstone River Greenway/Bikeway and the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, visit BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.