A number of Virginia’s bike and pedestrian paths will now be completed thanks to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – the “Stimulus” package.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) acted swiftly to approve and submit a number of these planned bikeway projects to the federal government for approval.
Without this assistance from the ARRA, a number of these projects might not have otherwise been funded.
Completing these projects will provide jobs and promote economic development in communites along the trails.
Among the bike and pedestrian projects approved by the CTB are:
Virginia Capital Trail – ARRA Funds = $8,183,835
The Virginia Capital Trail (VCT) will provide a pedestrian/bicycle facility along Route 5 (a designated Virginia Byway) from Virginia’s colonial capital at Williamsburg to the present capital in Richmond. The trail will be 54 miles long and connect the Jamestown to Richmond.
The VCT is a designated National Recreational Trail and part of both the TransAmerica Bike Route (76) and the East Coast Greenway. The is the last of the 8 segments to be funded which will complete the trail.
For more details: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation
Tobacco Heritage Trail – ARRA Funds = $6,000,000
The Tobacco Heritage trail is a 160 mile system of long distance multi-use typically following abandoned rail corridors through the five Southside Virginia counties of Mecklenburg, Brunswick, Halifax, Lunenburg, and Charlotte.
For more details: http://www.tobaccoheritagetrail.org/
Roanoke River Greenway – ARRA Funds = $2,000,000
The Roanoke River Greenway is a 31 mile bicycle/pedestrian trail connecting the entire
Roanoke Valley, linking the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, and the Town of Vinton, Montgomery and Franklin Counties. The greenway will provide linkage to neighborhoods, industrial facilities, business complexes, fifteen parks, three schools, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
For more details: http://www.greenways.org/docs/RoanokeRiverGreenwayStatusMap.pdf
High Bridge Trail ARRA Funds = $2,000,000
This 34.3 mile multi-use trail being constructed on abandoned Norfolk-Southern railway from The Town of Pamplin to the Town of Burkeville.
The last train to use the line was in October, 2004 and in December, 2006, Norfolk Southern donated this rail line to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
The park’s centerpiece is the impressive High Bridge, which is more than 2,400 feet long and 160 feet above the Appomattox River. The bridge was built in 1853 as part of the South Side Railroad. The bridge played a strategic role in the Route of Robert E. Lee’s retreat in 1865. High Bridge Reconstruction
For more details: High Bridge Trail State Park
Dismal Swamp Canal Trail ARRA Funds = $1,300,000
The existing 8.5 mile Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is an adaptive reuse of the former U.S. 17 alignment. A proposed northern extension will connect this popular bicycle, walking and equestrian path with residential areas in Chesapeake. Chesapeake plans to extend the trail south to connect with North Carolina’s existing 4.5 mile section of the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, which connects to the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center and the village of South Mills, NC. The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is also part of the East Coast Greenway network.
For more details: http://www.chesapeake.va.us/services/depart/park-rec/dismal_swamp_trail.shtml
The Valley Pike (Old Route 11) Project – ARRA Funds = $850,000
This trail will connect the Fisher’s Hill battlefield with the Town of Strasburg and the Cedar Creek-Belle Grove National Park. The completed trail will establish a non-motorized greenway for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians, interpreting the historic Valley Pike and surrounding battlefields. The total length of the proposed trail system is approximately 10 – 12 miles.
In addition to the historic significance of the battlefields, the Valley Pike was a major migration corridor for German, Scotch and Scots-Irish immigrants to America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
For more details: : http://www.shenandoahatwar.org/
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-ffAr_0M34f91E.gif\")
Comments on this entry are closed.
For the source of this info, see page 8 at
[http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/2009/cm_6A_4_15_009.pdf] .
In addition to the six trail projects listed about, $500,000 was allocated to the
USMC Heritage Trail in Prince William County.