Shared-Use Path Construction in Yarmouth Moves Forward 

Town of Yarmouth receives a 2020 MassTrails grant to support construction on Higgins Crowell Road 

Yarmouth’s Higgins Crowell Road runs from Route 28 to Willow Street, crossing Buck Island Road. It is a well-traveled, major arterial roadway that passes through residential neighborhoods, connects business districts, and is home to two schools and a public safety facility.  

Currently, there are no accommodations for pedestrians or bicyclists along Higgins Crowell Road, but that is all soon to change. Under design is the Phase III extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) from Yarmouth into Barnstable. This rail trail extension will connect to the Higgins Crowell Road roundabout, where a new trailhead and parking lot will be constructed.  

To complement this project, The Town of Yarmouth has designed a separate shared-use path project along Higgins Crowell Road that will connect to the CCRT and extend to Buck Island Road. This shared-use path will not only provide a safe connection into West Yarmouth for residents and trail users and open up access to Yarmouth’s Sandy Pond recreation area, but it will also enhance walking and biking options for students and staff at the ME Small Elementary School and Mattacheese Middle School, both along Higgins Crowell Road.  

The Higgins Crowell Shared Use Path project was recently the recipient of a MassTrails grant to support the project’s construction costs.   

Planned is a ten-foot-wide path with a landscape buffer along the eastern side of Higgins Crowell Road that will extend for approximately a mile and a half. It is currently in the final design and permitting phase, with construction expected to begin in Spring 2021.