BALTIMORE, MD (November 20, 2014) – Improving Maryland’s recreational trail networks and supporting healthy lifestyles, the State Highway Administration (SHA) today announced $1.4 million in grants to fund 54 Recreational Trails Program (RTP) projects across the State. The 2015 grant recipients include six counties, five municipalities and 13 non-profit organizations. Work includes constructing new trails, maintaining existing trails, purchasing equipment and signage.
The RTP provides grants ranging from $1,200 to $40,000 on a reimbursement basis with funds for numerous transportation trail and recreational trail uses, including: bicycling; pedestrian uses (hiking, running, wheelchair use); in-line skating; equestrian use; cross-country skiing; off-road motorcycling; all-terrain vehicle riding; and four-wheel driving. A list of grant-funded projects can be found here:
Click here for a listing of the projects.
“Transportation is about more than highways, planes, trains and buses,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “These grants provide opportunities for travel that support healthy lifestyles, reduce impacts on the environment and give us an up-close look at the beauty of our state.”
Some of the grant-awarded projects include:
•Great Allegany Passage (GAP) Trailhead: $20,000 to establish directional and informational signage at three trailheads along the GAP in Allegany County;
•Folly Branch Connector Trail: $40,000 to develop a multi-use connector trail to link communities south of MD 450 with the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis (WB&A) Trail;
•Rowing & Kayak Water Access: $40,000 to provide a launch site for paddle craft to obtain access to the Wicomico River in Salisbury;
•Phillips Wharf Environmental Center Oyster House: $38,890 to provide bicyclists, walkers, and other visitors with a wide range of recreational and educational amenities associated with the Oyster House site in Talbot County, including a working waterfront trail through live exhibits and a watershed restoration landscape;
•Gwynn’s Falls Trail Wayfinding Improvements: $9,500 to the Park & People Foundation to improve signage and engage students and families in educational related maintenance activities along the Gwynn’s Falls Trail in Baltimore City;
•South Mountain Recreation Area Ridge Runners: $15,136 to aid the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in managing and protecting the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in a high-use area near Annapolis Rock.
The RTP focuses trail investments on missing links in the statewide trail network and helps enhance existing State investment areas, including designated Scenic Byways, Heritage Areas and/or Main Streets. SHA partners with DNR, other State agencies and trail user groups to solicit and select projects that enhance economic development, transportation, environment and public health. For more information on the Recreational Trails Program, please visit
http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Index.aspx?PageId=98
The Maryland Department of Transportation adopted an updated Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in January 2014. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan establishes a 20-year vision to support cycling and walking as modes of transportation in Maryland.
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