MORGANTOWN – After seven years of red tape, federal grant dollars will result in a new surface for portions of the Deckers Creek Rail Trail.
Morgantown City Council recently approved a $130,363.94 bid from Kingwood’s Mountaineer Contractors to resurface the trail from the Ruby Amphitheater to Deckers Creek Boulevard, near Marilla Park, and from Green Bag Road to the pedestrian bridge behind the Sabraton Kroger.
Morgantown City Councilor Dave Harshbarger also serves as president of the Mon River Trail Conservancy Board of Directors.
“A typical section of rail trail is expected to last 10 years. That section of paving is the original paving, done over 20 years ago,” Harshbarger said. “I think, as important as roads and sidewalks, the infrastructure of our rail trail is equally important for quality of life and economic viability.”
The lion’s share of the funding for the work is coming from a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant, which is the largest source of funding for rail-trail construction and maintenance, according to the West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council.
In this case the grant was awarded in 2014 and has since been working its way through the West Virginia Division of Highways.
“There is a series of processes, and even federal funds go through the DOH at the state level. It typically takes seven to 10 years, once awarded the grant, to go through the different phases of approval and engineering,” Harshbarger explained, adding “It’s a statewide issue and it’s, frankly, frustrating, but that is the process.”
Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy said city engineering will meet with the contractor next week to schedule the work, which will require temporary closure of those trail sections.
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