Advisory committee split on restarting Bourne Rail Trail Phase 1; to ask Select Board for direction

The Bourne Rail Trail advisory committee debated whether to resume Phase 1 of the town—ourne Rail Trail at its meeting on June 3, with members split between continuing discussions with MassDOT and formally withdrawing the later phases from the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Chair called the meeting to order and framed the choices before members: whether to press to reinstate Phase 1 on the TIP with a redesigned plan, to leave the project delayed, or to advise the Select Board to remove Phases 2, 3 and 4 from the TIP. He said the committee had previously recommended delaying Phase 1 and that the town administrator had sent a letter that led the Cape Cod MPO and MassDOT to administratively remove the phase. "We are certainly in a position where if we wanted to, we could reinstitute it, although, obviously, not for this year," the Chair said.

Helen, a committee member, said she contacted Steven Tupper after the prior meeting and that Tupper told her the Bourne Rail Trail Phase 1 "is not currently funded on the TIP, but remains eligible to be funded" after an administrative removal at an August 18, 2025 MPO meeting. Helen said MassDOT received a letter from the town administrator rather than the Select Board and that outstanding design issues prompted the town's action.

Several members expressed skepticism about the project's current design and cost. "The price tag for this project is over $10,000,000 for a half a mile," the Chair said, arguing the expense and other unresolved concerns weigh against moving forward without substantial changes and community buy-in. One committee member said the phase, as presented at prior public hearings, generated neighborhood concern and would need redesigned outreach.

A committee member who reviewed federal requirements warned the group that federally funded transportation projects that affect recreation facilities trigger Section 4(f) protections. "A transportation project that's federally funded ... cannot use or make any use of a recreation facility without first following a formal process that involves public hearings, etc., commonly referred to as Section 4(f)," the committee member said, and recommended the town consult with town counsel about whether the redesigned plan would require a new 4(f) determination.

Ted, a committee member who reviewed paperwork, said the committee had signed a 4(f) determination in August 2023 for an earlier design and that the record exists, but he acknowledged the committee likely should have revisited the finding after later design changes. "In August 2023, we did sign the 4(f) determination," Ted said.

Several members said they were willing to continue discussions with MassDOT about modifying the Phase 1 design to address neighborhood concerns, while others said continuing design work risks strengthening the case for preserving the rail line rather than removing it. To reconcile the split, members discussed four separate questions to present to the Select Board: whether to pursue Phase 1, whether Phases 2————3 and 4 should be removed from the TIP, whether the committee should continue under its current charge, and whether the town should pursue a modernized rail alignment to serve the military base.

The Chair said he will present the committee—————s discussion and ask the Select Board on June 9 to decide whether the town wants to recommence Phase 1, to formally abandon Phases 2————3 and 4, and whether the committee should be reconstituted under the Select Board with a broader multimodal charge. The committee took no formal vote to change any TIP entries at the meeting; it instead agreed the Chair would report the discussion to the town administrator and the Select Board.

The meeting ended after a procedural vote to adjourn.