NEWPORT, RI (AP) -- Aquidneck Island officials have developed a less-expensive plan for a bike route from Portsmouth to Newport.
The Newport Daily News reports that the interim plan would allow bicyclists to ride 18 continuous miles from the Sakonnet River Bridge to Easton's Beach.
Commission Executive Director Tina Dolen says it is estimated to cost between $2.5 million and $4.2 million and would take two to three years to build.
That's significantly less than the $24 million it is estimated to build a different bikeway along an old rail corridor. The planning commission still wants to build that path, called the Shoreline Bikeway. Dolen says the interim plan could be fast-tracked and would use mostly existing roads.
The commission has applied for a $75,000 state grant to study the plan.