Cape Cod National Seashore Announces Archeological Work in Advance of Nauset Bicycle Trail Rehabilitation

Date: September 28, 2012
Contact: Sue Moynihan, 508-957-0738

Archeological investigations along the route of the Nauset Bicycle Trail in Eastham will be underway in mid-October according to Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent George Price.The project is expected to last two to three weeks, and will be conducted by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB, Inc.) under contract to the National Park Service. The purpose for the investigations is to ensure that the upcoming rehabilitation of the bike trail in spring, 2013 does not affect archeological resources. The bike trail, among the oldest in the National Park System, will be repaved and widened to ten feet, and drainage improvements will be made. The goal of the rehabilitation project is to improve safety for riders. The trail meanders through the Nauset Archeological District National Historic Landmark between Salt Pond Visitor Center and Coast Guard Beach.The results of the archeological investigation will guide the trail rehabilitation project to ensure that any cultural resources along the trail are protected.The National Park Service expects the trail to remain open during the archeological investigations, but in some areas riders may need to walk their bikes around work areas for the safety of both researchers and bicyclists.

The Nauset Bicycle Trail is one of three bike trails in the national seashore. The Province Lands Bicycle Trail was fully rehabilitated in 2011. The 2013 rehabilitation of the Nauset Bicycle Trail is being funded by the federal Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in the Parks Program. Additional information about the rehabilitation project, including the schedule, will be announced over the winter.

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