Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190076
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ABINGDON LENGTH: Medium
Supporters of the proposed six-mile bike and hiking path between Blacksburg and the New River Valley Mall reacted with gratitude and relief.
"That's wonderful," said Bill Ellenbogen, president of Friends of the Huckleberry. "We've worked so hard. I'd like to think that the worthy get rewarded."
After gaining widespread local support, the trail along an abandoned rail line earned a $453,000 grant from the state in 1993. Planners believed that money would be enough to finish the multipurpose trail and predicted the job would be finished by this summer.
However, a series of bureaucratic hoops and environmental regulations delayed the start of construction. Those delays and higher construction costs prompted trail supporters to seek the second grant.
Final approval of the most recent grant won't be voted upon until the Commonwealth Transportation Board meets again June 12. Supporters can reasonably count on a favorable vote then, a Virginia Department of Transportation official said, because the project has not been controversial.
Totaling both grants, the finished trail should cost about $900,000. About $180,000 of that has been generated from donations by local governments, businesses and private donations.
Several parcels of land need to be acquired, from Merrimac Road south to the New River Valley Mall. Money for that purchase won't be available from the original grant until the project gets its final environmental clearance.
Trail supporters hope that final hurdle will be cleared this summer, so the project can be advertised for bids. Construction might begin by fall, about the same time state officials predict the grant will be available.
The Huckleberry Trail was one of 32 grant applications from across the state approved to split $8.6 million in federal money by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The funds were generated through the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, ISTEA, which is designed to support alternative transportation projects.
by CNB