Residents raise concerns about the Northern Scenic Greenway Bike Path

Residents with signs stating "No off-road bike path on Old Fall River Road" in opposition to the proposed Northern Scenic Greenway filled the Select Board meeting on Monday, Aug. 3.

The Northern Scenic Greenway is a 9.8 mile regional trail that would connect Westport and New Bedford bike paths along a 5.4-mile long stretch through Dartmouth. This path would be separated from the road where feasible.

The Northern Scenic Greenway hasn’t been approved for construction, and so far only the study of Old Fall River Road as a potential location for the shared-use path is guaranteed to happen.

Due to the conditions on Old Fall River Road and concerns regarding the size of the bike path, residents in the area are speaking out against the bike path.

Sandra Medeiros, who is the President of the Alliance, emphasized at a Select Board meeting on Monday, Aug. 3 that the current designs are purely conceptual and the study will consider resident concerns.Residents such as Kathy pointed out that people speed on Old Fall River Road and said that there are endangered species that could be injured as well. 

“These are real concerns, it’s not just ‘We are against the bike path’ because we are not,” she said. 

Many were upset that other roads, such as Route 6, were considered for the connecting bike path but not chosen. 

The Select Board said that if the bike path is not safe when the preliminary design is finalized, they will not approve the path. They also pointed out that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation would be constructing the bike path through its  State Transportation Improvement Program and is the same group that is working on the Route 6 improvements. 

The only part of the Greenway Project that is guaranteed to happen at this time is the feasibility study on Old Fall River Road. Medeiros said that there will be multiple public meetings where residents can voice specific concerns over the pathway. 

“Right now is the perfect time to have those concerns raised,” said Select Board member Nathan Silva.

The Alliance has chosen an engineering firm to conduct the study. This will include a traffic study and look at the feasibility of building a bike path along the road. 

The Committee, with the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, has until June 27, 2027 to finalize a preliminary design. This deadline is imposed through the $285,000 grant the Committee received from MassTrails in 2025.