The Hogan Administration has announced $3.78 million in fiscal year 2021 grants to support bicycle safety and access improvements for projects across the state. The funds are made possible through the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program. Founded in 2011, the Bikeways Program provides state transportation funding for planning, design and construction of bicycle infrastructure, including bike lanes and shared-use paths.
“More and more Marylanders are cycling during the COVID-19 emergency for transportation, recreation and to support health and well-being, and it’s imperative that Maryland continues to invest in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “The grants awarded through the MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program will enable more Marylanders to experience safe cycling conditions and better connect the state’s growing bicycle system.”
In December 2019, Governor Hogan announced an increase to the Bikeways Program from $2 million to $3.8 million annually. The funding increase was made in honor of Kim Lamphier, an avid cyclist and a member of several bicycle clubs in the region who died of cancer in 2019. Lamphier was a tireless advocate for bike safety and a strong voice of support for state legislation to guarantee funding for Maryland’s bikeway network. During this year’s legislative session in Annapolis, the General Assembly passed a bill renaming the Bikeways Program in her honor.
Through the Bikeways Program, MDOT offers grant assistance to jurisdictions and key agencies to improve safety, enhance multimodal connections and fill missing links in the state’s bicycle network. Since the program’s inception, every county in Maryland has received Bikeways awards, totaling $24 million for 160 projects, of which 114 projects have been completed. This year, the MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program has designated $3.78 million for 19 projects across Maryland to construct bike trails, design low-stress, on-street bike lanes and deploy bicycle traffic counters.
“Bicycle infrastructure is a key component of Maryland’s transportation system, and this grant program allows the state to support local partners and invest in safety and connectivity for Maryland’s multimodal transportation network,” said MDOT Secretary Greg Slater. “These projects will improve bike and pedestrian access to transit, employment centers, schools, shopping and other destinations, and support economic development and the quality of life in Maryland communities.”
The grant program allows the state to support local partners and invest in safety and connectivity improvements in Maryland’s multimodal transportation network. Among the projects, $500,000 is awarded to Howard County for the North Laurel Connections construction project, which will create a 5.6-mile bike route between Laurel and Savage. On the Eastern Shore, the Town of Chestertown was awarded $162,000 to complete construction Phase IV of the Wayne Gilchrest Rail Trail.
Baltimore County will receive $480,000 for construction of the Bloomsbury Crossing section of the Short Line Trail in Catonsville. In partnership with Friends of the Patapsco Valley State Park, Baltimore County will also receive more than $50,000 construct the River Road section of the Patapsco Regional Greenway.
The MDOT Bikeways program also provides funding to bicycle projects which promote tourism. The Town of Ocean City will receive funding to address gaps in its bicycle network, enabling visitors and residents alike to bike more safely to more destinations. The towns of Hancock in Washington County and Snow Hill in Worcester County will each receive funding to design on-road bicycle facilities and provide tourist amenities such as bicycle fix-it stations and wayfinding signs. The City of Annapolis will evaluate and engineer solutions for key gaps in the city’s low-stress bicycle network. Tuckahoe State Park on the Eastern Shore will evaluate two former railroad bridges to be converted to trail-use as part of the Frederick Douglass Rail Trail, a planned 40-mile trail between Easton and Delaware.
Montgomery County and Baltimore City were awarded Bikeways funding to install automated bicycle traffic counters. Just like automobile counters, bicycle counters track the amount of bicycle traffic to document ridership increases and better plan for future bicycle infrastructure.
Other projects awarded MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program funding include:
- Design of the BWI Trail Spur Extension to the Nursery Road Light Rail Station in Anne Arundel County,
- Planning and design of Dunkirk and Prince Frederick Bikeways in Calvert County,
- Design of the Northern Branch of the H&F Trail in the City of Frederick,
- Planning and design of a low-stress bicycle route along Chelterham Drive and Pearl Street in Bethesda,
- Design of the New Hampshire Avenue Bikeway in Takoma Park,
- Design of the Route 413 Hiker Biker Trail in Somerset County, and
- Design funding for two projects in Salisbury: Phase 1 of the Salisbury Rail Trail and a track and bike boulevard/greenway along W. College Avenue at Salisbury University.
Detailed information about the program is available on the MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program website, and the Bikeways grants will be highlighted on MDOT’s new WalkCycleMD Twitter and Facebook pages, @WalkCycleMD and facebook.com/WalkCycleMD.
