Peabody pleased with 4.6-mile bike path progress

PEABODY – The Peabody Bikeway project is moving right along, said Mayor Michael Bonfanti last week.”People have been pleased with the progress made,” he said, himself included. “It’s a nice jewel?It’s something we hope all residents will enjoy.”Blair Haney, assistant director of Community Development, said the 4.6-mile path has recently been leveled with dirt so the slope is very minimal, making the bikeway handicap accessible. Over the next few weeks, an asphalt base coat will be laid, followed by the final coat in the spring.”We are the envy of many communities,” he said.The Bikeway has long been a dream for the city and its residents. Nearly 18 years in the making, that dream is starting to come true.The Bikeway will follow the path of the old abandoned railroad tracks from the Middleton/Peabody line all the way to the Lahey Clinic. It will travel along the Ipswich River, wrap around Crystal Lake and Elginwood Pond, continue down Lowell Street past the high school and Brooksby Farm, and come to an end just before the Salem line. Over 400 acres of land, from recreational sites to natural wetlands, will be linked through the path.Bonfanti, who has frequented the path since its clearing in mid-February, said he appreciates how different the walk feels as the seasons change.The project will cost about $3 million when all is said and done. Much of the cost has been primarily funded through state and federal grants. The city contributed $175,000 from Community Preservation Act funds.Stone walls have also been erected in certain places along the way, as have drainage systems to prevent flooding. Soon enough, it will take on its desired form of a 10-foot wide path with two-foot shoulders made of crushed stone.The entire project, constructed by the New Hampshire based company S&R Construction, is slated for completion by fall 2009.But before it can be officially opened, it has to be officially named, said Bonfanti. City Hall is currently designing a contest for Peabody students to come up with a name for the new recreational path.”We’re looking for a name that reflects history and patriotism,” said Bonfanti, noting the many veteran gravesites along the way.