Plan to extend bike path through Dennis, Yarmouth on track

For decades, the Cape Cod Rail Trail has drawn thousands of bicyclists hoping to escape the bustle and concrete of city life for the Cape's tranquillity and verdant scenery. And now town officials and bicycle enthusiasts hope to extend the popular path 6 miles along the beaches and woods of Dennis and Yarmouth to the Barnstable border.

``The more trails, the more exposure and the better it is for tourists and people that live here to get east of Route 134," said Barry Worth of Harwich, a member of the town's bikeways committee.

Two town meetings about the proposed project -- one Sept. 20 at a police station in Yarmouth and another Sept. 21 at a senior center in Dennis -- drew mostly support and a little concern from dozens of residents worried about having a bike path run near their backyards.

Barry Clayman of South Yarmouth , who owns property by the proposed path, wants assurances that residents would be protected from the noise thousands of bikers would bring.

``The concern to us, and believe me, we are in favor of the bike path, it is just the number of people who will be using it and the noise level," Clayman said in a telephone interview. ``Our hope is to get some soundproof fencing because we want to be able to enjoy our property and use the bike path as well."

Barnstable County Commissioner Bill Doherty said he wants to see fencing that would not block residents from accessing the path.

``Consider this when assigning fences and barriers," he said at the Sept. 21 meeting. ``Homeowners should be given secure or unsecure openings to access trails, and options should be given to horse owners and walkers."

The goal, ultimately, is to connect the 22-mile path to the transportation center in downtown Hyannis, making it easier for tourists to grab their bikes, jump on a train or bus, and hit the trail, said Joe Rodricks , town engineer in Dennis.

``We're trying to make it not a tourist attraction -- although it is a great tourist attraction -- but a practical tourist attraction," he said at the meeting.

But the trail will not only be for tourists. ``We're hoping to get local people to take their bikes from their homes to where they want to go," he said.

Rodricks, who lives in Yarmouth, said more opposition was voiced at the Sept. 20 meeting in Yarmouth because the trail covers a much larger portion of Yarmouth than it does Dennis.

Willow Street, which would be near the path, has recently been widened, he said, and residents who endured the construction there are wondering, ``Am I going to get hit [with construction] again?"

``People were worried that crime would increase," he said. ``But they realized that it's a secluded railroad that was once wide and open, but will now have people and activity, and that kind of clicked."

Developers are also trying to decide whether to use bridges or tunnels to connect the path to bustling intersections. During the Sept. 21 meeting, residents said people are more comfortable riding their bikes on bridges rather than through tunnels, which they fear could be used to conduct criminal activity.

While development of the project is still in its early stages, about $3 million to $4 million has been earmarked by the state and federal government to extend the path, said landscape architect John Kissida, who presented the plans at the Sept. 21 meeting.

``Now our task is to identify all the issues that will be taken care of in the final design," he said. ``I came out of the meetings feeling very energized. We got a lot of support from the public and we can make this a reality but it's going to take some time."