The Hogan Administration has announced more than $9 million in fiscal year 2020 grants to support bicycle and pedestrian safety and connectivity across the state. Three separate state and federal grant programs will fund 37 projects sponsored by transportation agencies, local jurisdictions and nonprofits. Funding includes $6.6 million from the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, $2 million from the Maryland Bikeways Program and $1 million from the federal Recreational Trails Program.
“Our administration remains committed to prioritizing safety and connectivity in Maryland’s transportation network,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “These grants, with the support of our state and federal partners, will help our communities fulfill their bike and pedestrian project needs.”
The grant programs allow the state to support local partners and invest in Maryland’s multimodal transportation network. Among the projects is a $2.6 million Transportation Alternatives Program award to the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks for construction of an additional 2.5 miles of the Broadneck Trail between Peninsula Farm and Bay Dale roads. An additional $800,000 in Maryland Bikeways funding was awarded for the construction of another mile of the trail between its eastern terminus at College Parkway and Bay Head Park. When work is completed, the entire Broadneck Trail will be 6 miles long and about 10 feet wide, connecting neighborhoods, parks and schools along College Parkway.
Another project involves the repair and rehabilitation of 12 miles of C&O Canal towpath surface for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park was awarded more than $1 million for the work. Construction will extend from the Seneca Aqueduct (Towpath Mile 23) through Edwards Ferry (Mile 30) and from White Ferry (Mile 36) to Dickerson Conservation Park (Mile 29).
A third project involves $360,000 in design funds for Baltimore City for a new 5.5-mile section of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network between the Gwynns Falls and Herring Run Trails. The section will provide a shared-use path connecting numerous Baltimore neighborhoods with Mondawmin Mall, Druid Hill Park, Johns Hopkins University and Lake Montebello. When complete, the trails network will consist of a 35-mile, shared-use loop through Baltimore City.
“These bicycle and pedestrian projects are another way MDOT strives to improve the lives of Marylanders,” said MDOT Secretary Pete K. Rahn.
The Transportation Alternatives Program provides funding for on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, environmental mitigation and Safe Routes to School projects. A portion of the state’s allotment is awarded by metropolitan planning organizations and a portion is awarded by the state. The combined awards total $6.6 million and support 12 projects, including:
- Making sidewalk improvements for Vienna Elementary School in Dorchester County;
- Designing a 1.7-mile shared-use path on Falls Road (MD 189) in Montgomery County;
- Building a new pavilion over Steam Engine 202 in the City Park of Hagerstown.
The Maryland Bikeways Program, administered through the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), offers grant assistance to local jurisdictions and key agencies to improve safety, enhance multimodal connections and fill missing links in the state’s bicycle network. The $2 million of bikeways awards will fund nine projects, including:
- Conducting a feasibility study to extend the Indian Head Rail Trail to the Three Notch Trail in Charles County;
- Studying and designing the Frederick and Pennsylvania Line Railroad Trail between the City of Frederick and Walkersville in Frederick County;
- Designing a shared-use path along Dobbin Road in Columbia in Howard County;
- Continuing design of the Short Line Trail crossing of Bloomsbury Avenue in Catonsville, Baltimore County;
- Continuing design of the New Hampshire Avenue Bikeway in Takoma Park in Montgomery County.
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) focuses on investments that improve and preserve the statewide recreational trail network. Grants provide funds for trail construction, enhancement, repair and maintenance. Nearly $1 million in awards will fund 16 projects, including:
- Purchasing maintenance equipment for the Great Allegheny Passage Trail in Allegany County;
- Funding for existing personnel in Patapsco Valley State Park in Baltimore County and for a new employee at Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area in Cecil County;
- Supporting trail and boardwalk improvements on the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway in Harford County;
- Rehabilitating six miles of snowmobile trails in Potomac Garrett State Forest in Garrett County.
Detailed information about each program is available through the following links:
