THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270598
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Imagine pedaling leisurely along a tree-lined path. There's no traffic. The route winds pleasantly along a river.
It doesn't sound much like Norfolk, where cyclists usually have to hug narrow strips of pavement while cars whiz by.
Yet with some luck in winning federal funding, it may soon be possible to bicycle, walk or jog from the edge of downtown along a one-mile path beside the Elizabeth River through West Ghent. It could be the beginning of a much longer trail that would stretch from Waterside past Old Dominion University.
The City Council Tuesday formally asked the state to spend $500,000 to build the Elizabeth River Trail. The money would come from federal highway funds that encourage non-automobile forms of transportation.
Other local communities are also reemphasizing the value of getting people out of vehicles and back onto the streets.
Virginia Beach has adopted an Outdoor Plan that would link the many recreation areas in the city by a network of landscaped bike, pedestrian and horse paths.
Portsmouth on Tuesday night decided to seek federal funds to build docks and boating facilities that will encourage people to use the Elizabeth River and open spaces at the end of High Street.
Most of the one-mile trail in Norfolk is along a section of abandoned railway that Norfolk Southern is selling to the city. After the ties and rails are ripped out, the city would pave and landscape the path.
It would run from Colley and Southampton avenues, by Fort Norfolk, through an industrial area and into West Ghent at Orapax Street. The path would carry people over the Midtown Tunnel, which stands as a barrier to any bicycle traffic.
The project will cost $625,000. The city would pay the railroad $350,000 for the right of way, and then spend $275,000 on landscaping and other construction costs.
To help pay for the path, Norfolk Southern would contribute $125,000. The city hopes to get the remaining $500,000 from the federal government through Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grants, (commonly referred to as ``ice-tea''funds.) The Commonwealth Transportation Board hands out the state's share of this money, and Norfolk is competing for a chunk of the $9.2 million the state will distribute this year.
Norfolk officials believe they have a good chance of getting the money. If the city does, the design of the path would be hammered out over the summer and fall. Construction could begin by year's end and the path could open in the spring.
In Portsmouth, the city is seeking a pair of the grants for waterfront improvements. The Hampton Roads Rowing Club wants Portsmouth to develop a floating dock on the Crawford Bay to serve as a public launching place for rowing shells. The club also would like to convert the old Virginia Power substation on Middle Street into a boat house.
The club has said it will donate $25,000 toward construction. If the city wins the $250,000 grant, it said it would also contribute $25,000 to the project, which would include a walking path down Middle Street.
Portsmouth has also applied for a $1.2 million grant to rebuild the historic ferry landing established in 1630. The city hopes to create a docking facility and a festival place with shops.
On Tuesday night, the Norfolk Historical Society, the Downtown Norfolk Council, the West Ghent Civic League and bicycle and jogging enthusiasts endorsed the Elizabeth River project.
``I've learned that when you are on a bike, people talk to you, and you talk to them,'' said Alex Hawryluk, a resident. ``Paths and bicycles connect people. This is one of the best and least costly steps the city can take to build up its neighborhoods.''
Several business owners along the route opposed the project. They said cyclists and joggers don't mix with heavy industry.
But James Gildea, the city planner leading the project, said the right of way is wide enough so that the trail can be landscaped and fenced off where it leads through industrial sections. In addition, he said the city will work with surrounding businesses when the actual path is designed.
The council unanimously supported the project.
If the Elizabeth River Trail is built, it could be the start of a much longer pathway.
Gildea already has a map showing a trail stretching from Waterside and Norfolk State, past Old Dominion University to the bridge on Hampton Boulevard. This trail would run mostly along existing streets and paths, including an existing jogging trail by Town Point Park, Gildea said. MEMO: Staff writer Toni Whitt contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Map
STAFF
by CNB