Competition for TIGER II funding

In an area where things truly are in competition for funding, DC's TIGER II grant application for Supersizing Capital Bikeshare is competing with this project out of DE, PA and NJ

The request for $35 million out of a total project cost of $51 million is called GREAT-Mid-Atlantic, and would complete trails and bikeways all over the 3 states. Nine of the 30 sub-projects included in the application are on the East Coast Greenway in PA, NJ, and DE - with many more located on connecting trail systems, such as the Delaware & Lehigh Canal Trail (from Bristol to Wilkes-Barre, PA), the Schuylkill River Trail (from Philadelphia to Schuylkill County, PA) and the Great Allegheny Passage (from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, PA). Please take a look at the grant application at this link.

Looking at the map to the right. DC becomes the crossroads of all these networks, so there is probably some  benefit to our region - but it's not nearly as good for us as Bikeshare. Hopefully we'll both win.

Example project:

The Steel Valley section of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is one of the final remaining gaps between Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh. This project will construct 3,500’ of trail in the City of Duquesne, which connects to existing trail at Grant Avenue and a pedestrian bridge at Port Perry (under construction). Trail construction will include bituminous paving, grading, fencing, trail protection and signage. This trail segment will provide dedicated ROW and much safer alignment, by moving bicyclists off the shoulder of SR 837.

Comments

[Daniel]

As to the GAP trail and the Steel Valley trail, that's been a story of two types of companies. Many of the old industries, including CSX, who owned property along the route have donated or sold it or made easements. The lone hold out is Sandcastle, a family water park whose parking lot blocks connection between the north and south ends of the trail:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10121/1054802-140.stm

The link above is to a Pittsburgh Post Gazette article describing the goal date of completion: 11/11/11.

I've done this ride and will do it again when I can go roadless from Georgetown to the Forks of the Ohio. For those of you who quit in Cumberland, make a promise to yourself to huck over the mountain to Myersdale and beyond. If you thought you were alone in the Paw Paw tunnel, wait until you ride along the Casselman River. It's something every DC rider should try once.