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Select Board authorizes MassTrails grant application to repair Shining Sea Bikeway root-damage
Summary
The board voted to submit a $400,000 MassTrails reimbursement grant to target root-bump damage (black locust root intrusion) on the Shining Sea Bikeway in high-use sections including North Falmouth and West Falmouth; DPW will provide the required match from its annual bike-path budget.
At its Jan. 28 meeting the Select Board authorized staff to submit a $400,000 MassTrails reimbursement grant application to repair damaged sections of the Shining Sea Bikeway.
The Bike & Pedestrian Committee explained the request: invasive black-locust roots are lifting the trail surface in places by 4—–5 inches, creating safety risks for casual cyclists, families and pedestrians. The bikeway supports roughly 350,000 trips per year and includes a broad mix of users, many of whom are inexperienced riders more susceptible to falls at abrupt root bumps.
Project scope and financing: the committee plans to prioritize the worst sections (including North Falmouth and West Falmouth) for root removal, repaving and replanting with native species. The MassTrails program is a reimbursement grant; the town will provide the required match from DPW's annual budgets (the committee and DPW confirmed a typical town match of about $100,000 per year). Work would be scheduled off-season to reduce user disruption; if necessary the work could be staged across two seasons.
Why it matters: advocates and DPW say root-ball and invasive-species removal is the only lasting fix; temporary repairs such as grinding have proven short-lived. Committee members emphasized the risk to older adults, children and first-time riders and said a comprehensive approach will be more cost-effective than year-by-year spot repairs.
Board action: by voice vote the Select Board authorized staff to submit the grant application and confirmed DPW will contribute the local match. The board asked staff to coordinate timing with winter/shoulder-season limitations on pavement contractors.
Speakers quoted: "These root bumps can be four to five inches high. They eventually separate the asphalt and create potholes," the bike-and-ped chair said. DPW staff described earlier mitigation trials (grinding, small patching) and recommended full root-ball removal in target zones.
Provenance: Motion and approval recorded in the Jan. 28 Select Board transcript.
