This week the Mid-America Regional Council awarded over $8 million in competitive federal grants to bicycle and pedestrian projects around the metro area, accounting for about 9% of a total $95 million awarded to mostly highway transportation projects. Here are some highlights of the projects that been funded for implementation in 2013 and 2014.
Kansas City
- Bike lanes and sharrows on Armour and Benton Boulevards.
- Ciclovia/Open Streets events in KCMO.
- Route 152 Trail from Ambassador Drive to Line Creek Parkway.
- Shoal Creek Trail from Maplewoods to Barry Road.
- Line Creek Trail northward extension.
- Blue River and Trolley Track Trail Connector.
- Blue River Trail – Swope Park to Brush Creek
Missouri suburbs
- Lee’s Summit: Veile Park connection to Little Blue Trace Trail.
- Parkville: Route 9 Trail between downtown and Route 45.
- Pleasant Hill: Downtown Trail.
- Raytown: Bike lanes on Blue Ridge Boulevard.
- Raytown: Trail along Route 350.
Kansas suburbs
- KCK: Merriam Lane reconstruction with bike lanes, 10th to 24th.
- Bonner Springs: City-wide Trail System.
- Overland Park: Turkey Creek Trail.
- Lenexa: Clear Creek Trail.
UMKC also received a grant to expand its Clean Commute program of loaner bikes and bike safety education. Finally, the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation and the Mid-America Regional Council received a grant to provide bicycle skills training to the local engineers and planners who design and build trails and bike lanes.
The funds awarded today are highly competitive grants from two federal transportation programs, Transportation Enhancements and Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality. These T.E. and C.M.A.Q. programs are one of the primary sources funding for local bike/ped projects.
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What are the plans for the Turkey Creek Trail? Will it be expanded south?
I’m guessing Overland Park will use the money to connect Merriam’s completed portion with Mission’s planned portion. This is probably the most crucial, and most expensive portion of the trail. It would involve going over or under Metcalf and I-35.
The current plan is to continue extending the Turkey Creek Trail northeast through OP, Merriam, and KCK. It will eventually end at Rainbow Boulevard, will it will connect with future bike lanes on Southwest Boulevard. It will be be a key corridor from Johnson County to Downtown KCMO.
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With our overwhelming national debt, is this really what we need to be spending money on at this time? I drive to and from work along Merriam Drive and Southwest Blvd. every day. I see one to two bicyclists on that road, and they’re not even there every day. Maybe the feds should stop funding these kinds of wasteful projects and pay down our staggering debt!