Maryland announces new bike projects, Central Avenue Connector Trail, Bikeshare to Wheaton and Takoma Park

Governor Hogan of Maryland announced $14.9 million worth of bicycle and pedestrian grants for state projects yesterday, including Capital Bikeshare expansion into the DC suburbs, as well as projects in Capital Heights, College Park and Mount Rainier.

Three types of grants were announced. Transportation Alternatives grants which can go to a wide category of transportation, historic preservation or environmental projects. Recreational Trails projects, which are usually smaller projects like building bathrooms or adding trail counters. And there are the Bikeways programs which are large, bike-specific projects.

Of note in the DC area:

• Central Avenue Connector Trail design ($362,000) (see above map)
• 10‐station bikeshare construction in Wheaton Central Business District and Wheaton Metro Station ($300,350)
• Construction of two 15‐dock bike share stations on New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park and in the Takoma Langley Crossroads area ($100,000)
• Removal of 10 sections of concrete wall and construction of 100 feet of bike/pedestrian trail in College Park ($95,000) (???)
• Installation of bicycle improvements including signage, pavement markings, and bicycle racks along various roads in Mount Rainier ($80,000)
• Patuxent River State Park Trail Project: Phase 1 Completion ($40,000)
• Montgomery Parks/SCA Trails Project ($40,000)
• Hollywood Road Sidewalk Feasibility Study in College Park ($36,000) [I'm going to guess "is feasible" will be the result]
• Laurel Place bikeway signage and pavement markings and implementation of an on‐street bike lane or shared roadway in Laurel ($9,600)

The Central Avenue Connector Trail is a big, important project and it's good to see it get heavily funded. Capital Bikeshare expansion into more of Montgomery County will be very welcome I'm sure. The other projects, though smaller, are likely to pay off as well.

Farther out, some notable projects are:

• Rehabilitation of the Conococheague Creek Aqueduct for engineering, safety, and accessibility improvements ($6,962,904) [This was the top funded project statewide]
• Cross County Connector Trail – Grasonville ($3,431,084) [This was the second highest funded project]
• Desig and construction of a portion of the Upper Chesapeake Rail Trail ($398,966)
• Indian Head Trailhead Restroom ($360,000) [Those are going to be some nice restrooms at that price]
• 0.75 miles of two‐way pop‐up cycle track on West Pratt Street in Baltimore ($300,000) and another 0.3 miles on East Pratt Street ($10,850)
• Bicycle safe storm drains in Baltimore County ($152,900)
• At grade crossing of Bloomsbury Avenue for the Short Line Trail design in Baltimore ($50,000)

Here's more on the XCCT in Grasonville.

The Cross Island Trail currently extends six miles from the Chesapeake Bay at Terrapin Park in Stevensville across Kent Island High School to Old Love Point Park and along Route 50 east to Kent Narrows north, including a spur to the Chesapeake Exploration Center and Ferry Point Park. The connector trail would link Long Point Park to Kent Narrows north.

Comments

[guess]

I'm guessing that the College Park wall removal is the sound wall on Paint Branch Pkwy that blocks direct access to the Trolley trail from Old Town:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9834854,-76.9308017,3a,75y,225.16h,61.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9hJEf3h9Et1HrDzGNBUFuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[washcycle]

That's a good guess.

[Crickey7]

"•Hollywood Road Sidewalk Feasibility Study in College Park ($36,000) [I'm going to guess "is feasible" will be the result]"

Where would you like your $36,000 check sent?