Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 28, 1995 TAG: 9503280052
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Translated, that means it will take two-thirds of a federal grant to build about half of the six-mile bike path.
Eighteen months ago, supporters estimated that the $453,424 grant would equal one completed trail.
That was before bureaucratic delays and cost increases changed the equation
Now the supporters say they'll need $308,504 to build the trail's Blacksburg-to-Merrimac Road half.
The difference between $453,424 and $308,504 represents $144,920 and months of frustration for trail supporters.
Even though the grant money was awarded long ago, it's still not certain when construction will begin. September is the most optimistic starting point.
Meanwhile, People Advocating the Huckleberry have applied for a second grant in order to fund the rest of the trail, from Merrimac Road to the New River Valley Mall, along an abandoned rail line.
Last month, the trail's engineering committee decided to build the trail gradually rather than all at once. The idea was to circumvent some of the lingering environmental issues that have blocked progress, particularly in the trail's southern half between Merrimac Road and the mall.
On Monday, committee members said they hope - as they have hoped for some months - that the state will approve the trail's environmental document soon so work can proceed.
Issues such as endangered species and American Indian archeological sites have been reviewed and cleared.
Two hurdles remain. The state Department of Historic Resources is concerned about what the trail plans to do with two masonry abutments above Norfolk Southern's active rail line near Merrimac.
The abutments once supported a bridge where the old Huckleberry line crossed the present-day tracks. The idea that these uprights, which were abandoned when the Huckleberry line was pulled up about 30 years ago, would have historic value struck one member of the engineering committee as wrong-headed.
"It's old rotten concrete," said Bill Ellenbogen. "They're jerking us around. Let's stop this absurdity and get on with it."
Additionally, the state wants more information on the eligibility of the Merrimac area as a historic district, based on the presence of coal mines there during the first three decades of the 20th century.
The trail runs through the old mining district, and consideration of a historic district might be another complication for the trail's progress, said Craig Lukezic, a cultural resource planner with the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Lukezic said it's up to him to determine the boundaries of a historic district and make recommendations to the Department of Historic Resources. He said he would undertake the field work this week.
Frustration with the Department of Historic Resources - evident among committee members for several months - emerged again at Monday's meeting. Trail supporters are eager for the project to proceed, and many see the governmental organizations that have oversight over the trail as being high-handed.
Montgomery County Administrator Betty Thomas sent a letter to the Department of Historic Resources earlier this month asking for an update on the Huckleberry's Trail review prior to Monday's meeting, but received no reply.
Committee member Lance Terpenny also called the department last week seeking an update. "They basically said, don't call us, we'll call you," Terpenny said.
"I wish Newt [Gingrich] would get on this one," Ellenbogen said.
The committee also heard that project delays and environmental questions has cost the trail's engineers, Anderson & Associates, about $9,000 in additional expenses.
Already, design work for trail bridges has been held up for a year while the various environmental hurdles have been addressed, said Tim Stowe of the firm.
"We really don't know when we'll we able to start," he said. "We've been stalled waiting on clearances on issues we never even dreamed would happen."
by CNB