ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan this week announced $35.7 million in grants for 53 bicycle, pedestrian, and trail projects across Maryland. Supporting projects from trail extensions and maintenance to safety improvements and bridge reconstructions, the Fiscal Year 2023 grants include $33.1 million in federal funding for 32 projects through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Recreational Trails Program (RTP), plus another $2.6 million in state funding for 21 projects through the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network.
“These grants will provide residents with improved bicycle and pedestrian access for transportation, recreation, and good health,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Strengthening Maryland’s bike and pedestrian trail network provides greater quality of life for residents of all ages, and makes our state even more attractive for residents and businesses.”
All three grant programs support agency partnerships to improve safety and connectivity across Maryland’s multimodal transportation network. A portion of TAP allotments, for instance, are awarded by metropolitan planning organizations. The announcement of this year’s awards comes during the statewide celebration of Walktober, a month-long recognition of the official state exercise—walking—and its profound impact on the lives of Marylanders.
“There’s no question safe and convenient bike and pedestrian access is a critical component of Maryland’s transportation network,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. “The projects that Governor Hogan is supporting through these grant awards will impact communities from the Eastern Shore to Western Maryland in a very positive way.”
TAP and RTP programs benefit bicycling, walking, and school accessibility
The Transportation Alternatives Program provides funding for on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, environmental mitigation, and projects related to the Safe Routes to School initiative. This year’s TAP awards include:
- $2 million for a segment of the West-East Express Trail in Anne Arundel County, from People’s Park on Calvert Street in Annapolis to Taylor Avenue near the Annapolis Police station.
- $4.8 million to construct 1.8 miles of the Frederick and Pennsylvania Line Railroad Trail, an asphalt rail-to-trail project from Monocacy Boulevard to Fountain Rock Nature Center in Frederick County;
- $4.6 million for the Metzerott Road Pedestrian Safety Project in Prince George’s County, for improvements on Metzerott Road from MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) to Adelphi Road; and
- $2.4 million for the Byron Bridge access project in Washington County, creating a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant link between Byron Bridge and the C&O Canal Towpath.
Other TAP grants will fund a feasibility study for a shared-use path to connect residents and tourists in West Ocean City to Assateague State Park along MD 611; help upgrade 1.3 miles of Patuxent Branch Trail in Howard County to an ADA compliant surface; design a bike and pedestrian connection from the Nursery Road Light Rail Station to Belle Grove Road in Anne Arundel County; improve intersection and crossing safety at Cecil Elementary School in Baltimore City; and install ADA-accessible intersection improvements for school children in Hagerstown, including countdown pedestrian lights and audible signals.
Grants in the Recreational Trails Program help improve and preserve both land and water trails in Maryland’s recreational trail network. Projects in the FY 2023 awards include:
- $3.6 million to repair exterior end walls and the surface of the 955-foot-long Borden Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage in Allegany County;
- $2 million to rehabilitate several bridges along the Torrey C. Brown Trail in Baltimore County; and
- $5.9 million for ADA compliant improvements to piers and slips at Somers Cove Marina in Somerset County, along with replacement of a boat ramp and two piers.
Other RTP allocations will fund trail improvements in Patapsco Valley State Park in Baltimore County for adaptive mountain biking; interpretive signs in Jefferson Patterson Park in Calvert County; construction of a viewing area and trail maintenance at Adkins Arboretum in Caroline County; and a study to assess trail infrastructure in Historic St. Mary’s City.
Bikeway grants carry legacy of Kim Lamphier
The MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program was founded in 2011, and provides state funding for planning, design and construction of infrastructure such as bike lanes and shared-use paths. The program is named for the late Kim Lamphier, a Montgomery County native and longtime Baltimore County resident who advocated for bicycling access throughout Maryland. This year’s grants include:
- $360,000 for design of the Frederick & Pennsylvania rail-with-trail from Fountain Rock Park to Walkersville in Frederick County;
- $240,000 in design funding for the College Creek Connector, a shared-use path along College Creek between King George Street and downtown Annapolis;
- $128,000 for design of a shared-use path along Good Hope Road to Spencerville Local Park in
- $121,000 to complete design for the Martin Luther King Boulevard side path in Baltimore City.
Other Kim Lamphier grant awards include feasibility studies for shared-use paths in Gaithersburg, Galena, Laurel, Rockville, and St. Michael’s; bicycle counter programs in Baltimore City, Rockville, and Salisbury; studies for bike network improvements in Cambridge and Takoma Park; and funding to construct bicycle parking in Taneytown.
A complete list of grant-funded projects is available on each program’s website: MDOT Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program, Recreational Trails Program, and Transportation Alternatives Program.
Maryland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans and other programs are available online here.
Photo via Pixabay
