ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 11, 1996 TAG: 9605130067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
MILL MOUNTAIN PROSPECT GREENWAY project got preliminary approval Thursday. It will share funding with 33 other nontraditional projects in Virginia.
Funding for the Mill Mountain Prospect Greenway project received preliminary approval from the Commonwealth Transportation Board at its meeting Thursday in Richmond.
The project, if given final approval, will receive $240,000 from the state's share of a special federal fund for nontraditional transportation work. It will involve the construction of a trail for pedestrians and bicyclists up Mill Mountain, including landscaping and historic interpretation.
Among the other 33 nontraditional projects in Virginia that may split $6 million in federal funding next year is the conversion of a rail spur to a pedestrian trail and bike path in Martinsville, repairs to the Draper Mountain Overlook in Pulaski County and a signing and landscaping project in Patrick County.
Overall, the board approved spending $2.1 billion in state and federal funds for transportation projects statewide for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The projects are part of the Virginia Department of Transportation's six-year improvement plan.
Among the proposed spending is $713.5 million in highway construction funds, $119.8 million for mass transit and $850 million for highway maintenance.
On June 6, the board will hold hearings on the proposed six-year plan in both Salem and Richmond, and it will take a final vote on the plan at its meeting June20.
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