BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

@E - oh, they asked for ideas on what to fund for this program.....! They were almost afraid to, I think, after being totally overwhelmed with requests for the first round of funding. This time through, more than 50 applications for funding were submitted for consideration from applicants in southwestern PA, totaling $44 million. The total cost of completing all those projects would have been closer to $78 million, when you factor in the local contributions, matching funds, etc. This time (and last) the ten county region of southwestern PA submitted about 25 percent of all applications received statewide.

swalfoort - I know they ask, but they seem to do so quietly (which I can understand totally)... I'm just very glad that the answers will address such problems as Robinson and the Strip - places in dire need of 'fixing'.

Edit: "The Panhandle Trail stretches from (maddeningly close to) Carnegie to near Weirton, W.Va., crossing through the Washington County towns of Midway and Burgettstown."

My little peeve, this seems to be the western version of the Sandcastle situation.

@ Edmonds - it is. One of the projects NOT funded this time through was a request by the Boro of Carnegie to improve the connection from the Borough Building to the eastern end of the Panhandle Trail through a road diet, traffic calming, signage, etc.

I found the route out to the Panhandle Trail didn't particularly need traffic calming or a road diet (at the times I was there, anyway). What it needed was a flatter route following the train tracks, instead of Noblestown Road. I'd rather Carnegie focused on a rail-with-trail in that area, if at all possible.

I imagine that Robinson Towne Center can - and will!- find a way to spend that $700,000 without improving pedestrian or biker assessibilty one wit.

@mick - acta the grantee, not Robinson Towne Center. That matters here.

@ Steven - locals/county trying to find rail with trail option in the area, but the track crosses the creek several times and existing bridges not wide enough for a trail too. new bridges for trail would be expensive, and hard to fit into tight corridor once rail turns west off noblestown. But we aim to keep trying.

Sara, that's a good point. The railroad uses three bridges in that area, though it seems like the trail might just be able to get away with only one (by using an existing path that follows the north edge of the creek as it goes under I-79). I hope you folks can find a solution.