At Monday night’s meeting, Bridgeport City Council further discussed extension of the city trail system. Although there are definite perks with regard to extending the trail from Hinkle and Deegan Lakes with an ultimate goal of connecting it to the trail system inside the city, there are some concerns among Council members.

 

The city was notified in March that it had been awarded a TEA-21 (Transportation Enhancement Act) grant from the West Virginia Division of Highways in the amount of $160,000; those monies being supplemented by a required 25 percent match by the city in the amount of $40,000.

 

It was last year when Community Development Director Randy Spellman, Parks and Recreation Director Don Burton and Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth applied for the grant, which encompasses two areas of community development: Trails and sidewalk programs. To date, Bridgeport has received five rounds of funding for the city’s Main Street revitalization program and two rounds of funding for city trail projects.

 

E.L. Robinson was selected to provide engineering services with regard to the new trail expansion project and meetings have been held with West Virginia Division of Highways traffic engineers to that regard. The proposed plan is to pick up the trail where it ends at Hinkle Lake (Route 58) and bring it up South Virginia Avenue past Burnside Funeral Home, the Shoppes of Averil Place and Bridgeport Storage, crossing South Virginia Avenue at Foley Street.

 

“It appears that we can work with the owners of the storage units and slide the fence down little bit. That would keep the trail from going down over the hill,” Spellman said. “Once we’re past the storage units, there’s a little bit of a ravine that we’d have to bridge across to get us back up on the other side where Appalachian Tire is. It looks like we can stay off the road for the most part until we reach the Dollar General plaza, then take it back next to the road to finish at Foley Street.”

 

 

That’s as far as the trail would go for now, but ultimately it is hoped to connect it with the trail system within the city. The problem is getting the trail across Main Street and a number of solutions have been discussed, including taking it up Foley Street and down Orchard Street.

 

But even the initial extension project has raised concerns, particularly crossing South Virginia Avenue, councilors said. 

 

If the city elects to keep it, the $160,000 grant must be used for expansion of the Hinkle/Deegan Lake trail up and across South Virginia Avenue to Foley Street, Spellman said.

 

Over the past decade or so, Bridgeport has had much success in securing the TEA-21 dollars. If the project proceeds, it would likely be 2016 before any work is done, Spellman said. Mayor Bob Greer said the discussion will continue to be open until a decision is reached.