Governor Hogan Announces $14.9 Million in Grants For Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Multi-use Trails

Governor Hogan recently announced $14.9 million in grants for bicycle, pedestrian, and multi-use trails across the State. These grants are being provided to counties, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.

As reported by the Baltimore Sun,

The 63 grants will go to counties, municipalities and nonprofit groups for projects extending from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. The largest grants, totaling $7 million, will go to the C&O Canal Aqueduct at Williamsport in Washington County. The money will go to the National Park Service and its C&O Canal National Historic Park for repairing a wall of the historic aqueduct to let it hold water again as well as other improvements.

The Maryland Department of Transportation press release specifies that the grants are allocated across three programs.

The $2.77 million in Bikeways Program Grants funds 17 projects including projects that will:

  • construct a combined 1.05 miles of cycle track connecting Baltimore City’s Jones Falls Trail through McKeldin Square and East and West Pratt Street;
  • deliver on-street bicycle improvements along Fitzwater Street in the City of Salisbury connecting across the Wicomico River; and
  • expand Capitol Bikeshare in Wheaton and Takoma Park.

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) focuses on trail investments that close missing links in the statewide trail network.  The $1.03 million in RTP Grants funds 38 projects including projects that will:

  • complete phase one of the Patuxent River State Park Trail Project in Howard and Montgomery Counties;
  • extend the Union Bridge Wetlands Park Trail in Carroll County; and
  • publish a visitor’s guide and repair a bridge deck for the Adkins Arboretum in Caroline County.

The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Program provides funding for on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, environmental mitigation, safe routes to school projects and planning, designing or constructing boulevards.  The $11.1 million in TA Program Grants funds eight projects including projects that will:

  • construct 500 feet of sidewalk in the Town of Federalsburg allowing students to safety travel
  • 1.24 miles to Federalsburg Elementary School;
  • design and develop a 1.2-mile extension of a shared use path in Queen Anne’s County; and
  • design a trail connection to fill a missing link in the City of Hagerstown (also funded in part by the Bikeways Program).