Asheville awarded $60,000 in 2017 bicycle and pedestrian planning grant

Posted on — Dan Hesse

City of Asheville spokesperson Christina Hallingse gave Xpress the details about the grant:

We were awarded $60,000 from the N.C. DOT Bike and Pedestrian Planning grant. The grant required a 60/40 match and two of our local non-profits provided the matching funds. Friends of Connect Buncombe contributed $15,000 and the Asheville Parks & Greenways Foundation contributed $20,000. The $85K will be used to conduct a feasibility study for the Swannanoa River Greenway Corridor section 2 (which runs parallel to Swannanoa River between Biltmore and S. Tunnel). This study area is contiguous to the first segment of the Swannanoa River Greenway (running from S. Tunnel toward Azalea Park) which is one of the parks bond projects.

Press release:

NCDOT Awards 2017 Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grants

RALEIGH – Twelve municipalities and one county from across the state will receive assistance with bicycle and pedestrian planning, thanks to grants awarded this month by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Recipients were selected from a pool of 18 applications by an awards committee comprised of representatives from regional planning organizations and councils of government, local government planners, and NCDOT staff from multiple units.

This year’s recipients include:

Apex (bicycle plan)
Asheville (corridor plan)
Beaufort (joint bicycle/pedestrian plan)
Columbus/Tryon (joint bicycle/pedestrian plan)
Misenheimer/New London/Richfield (joint bicycle/pedestrian plan)
Mount Holly (bicycle plan)
Mount Olive (joint bicycle/pedestrian plan)
Rocky Mount (bicycle plan)
Seagrove (pedestrian plan)
Transylvania County (bicycle plan)
Plans funded are not for one specific project, but represent a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities within a community. These plans address facilities, programs, services and regulations that encourage safe walking and bicycling. Now in its 14th year, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative has awarded more than $4.5 million for 183 local plans.
For more information on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative, contact the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation or visit the Planning Grant Initiative website.

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About Dan Hesse
I grew up outside of Atlanta and moved to WNC in 2001 to attend Montreat College. After college, I worked at NewsRadio 570 WWNC as an anchor/reporter and covered Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners starting in 2004. During that time I also completed WCU's Master of Public Administration program. You can reach me at dhesse@mountainx.com.
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One thought on “Asheville awarded $60,000 in 2017 bicycle and pedestrian planning grant”

  1. Jay Reese

    Good to hear! A mere pittance compared to the millions spent on roads but a good start. Hopefully one day people will wake up to the benefits of increased spending on alternative forms of transportation.

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