Governor Attends Event Celebrating Opening of New Cape Cod Rail Trail Bridge

DENNIS – Local and state legislators and officials attended an event on Wednesday, celebrating the opening of the new Cape Cod Rail Trail Extension Bridge in Dennis.

Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito also announced additional funding commitments to further develop the Cape Cod Rail Trail and increase the budget of the Recreational Trails Program by 60 percent, from $1.1 million to $1.8 million.

Baker and Polito walked alongside the Cape’s legislative delegation over the bridge before addressing a crowd which included bicyclists and onlookers.

“The more we can do to make it easier for people to connect from one place to another through many means and modes of transportation, the better off we’re all going to be,” said Baker.

Work on the extension began last year and forced the closure of Station Avenue in Yarmouth for a few days in November.

“This is economic development, it is community development, it is increasing the quality of life for the people who live here and improving the experience for those people who visit our Commonwealth,” said Polito.

The event was a celebration of recent extension work, including the 7.3 million dollar addition of new road-spanning bike bridges over Station Avenue and over Route 134 in Dennis.

“We can go from Wellfleet to Eastham to Brewster, Orleans, Harwich, Dennis and now we’re going to be able to say Yarmouth,” said State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton. “Then we’re going to go to Barnstable, we’re going to keep going to Bourne, we’re going to go the whole way to the canal.”

Barnstable town officials approved the purchase of a parcel of land on Independence Drive earlier this year, paving the way for the Rail Trail to be extended into the town.

The new bridges will help extend the popular Rail Trail for several miles, allowing it to run from Yarmouth to Wellfleet.

Cape Cod legislators who attended the event included State Representatives Tim Whelan, Will Crocker, Sarah Peake and Randy Hunt.

Whelan, who was speaking on behalf of the Cape’s legislative delegation, said that the extension is a big boost to the community.

“Thousands of people each day, both our local residents and our important summer visitors will benefit from these trails for years to come,” said Whelan.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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