BRUCETON MILLS — Bruceton Mills will soon have new handicapped accessible sidewalks, according to Mayor Cathy Smith. Smith said a $120,000 grant from the West Virginia Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails Program will allow sidewalks along W.Va 73 to be replaced.
Smith said the town set aside $30,000 before it applied for the grant, bringing the total cost of the project to $150,000. She said there was not enough funds in the grant for lighting.
“Lighting for the sidewalks will be a future project the town will have to pay for,” Smith said.
She said she has lived in Bruceton Mills for 40 years, and this is the first time the sidewalks have been replaced.
“When the grant becomes available again, we will be applying for funds to replace the sidewalks on Union Street down to the Family Dollar Store,” Smith said.
In a statement, Secretary of Transportation Tom Smith said, “The WVDOH administers the Transportation Alternative Grants (TAG) program on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help communities fund important projects like bike paths, sidewalks and walking trails (to name a few) that would, otherwise, prove challenging.
“These grants mean a lot to communities, and we are pleased that Bruceton Mills received $120,000 grant for a much-needed sidewalk replacement project. The WVDOH looks forward to continuing to work with them to begin construction soon,”
“We appreciate the grant,” Smith said. “We were thankful we were able to get the money and have new sidewalks.”
She said no date has been set to start the project. “They (DOH) told us it usually takes from eight to nine months,” Smith said.
