(Nov. 24, 2016) Six months ago, the Berlin Town Council approved up to $20,000 to create a pedestrian and biking path linking Berlin Falls park to the downtown area.
The funding was specifically earmarked for acquiring licensing fees for a right-of-way easement to use the area near the existing rail line owned by the Maryland-Delaware Railroad Co. At the time, Planning Director Dave Engelhart said a grant from the Maryland Bikeways program could help pay for design work.
While it took a little longer than expected, the town was approved for the grant late last month and work on the project is moving forward — albeit at a somewhat unhurried pace.
As of last Friday, Engelhart said he’s waiting to hear from the railroad on the access agreement and that he had to check in with the Maryland Department of Transportation, which oversees the Bikeways program, by Nov. 30.
After that, the town would move into the design phase.
“Hopefully, we can get [design work] done by May or June in time for the next grant cycle,” he said. “If we had that design done, which is paid for by the first grant, we could be looking for construction money and start building it.”
Exactly who will do the design work is still up in the air, although Engelhart said the town would likely release a request for proposal to solicit bids.
He said the path would be 10 feet wide with two feet of “freeboard” space on either side.
“That fits in the railroad right of way nicely, and that’s the ideal bikeway path,” he said. “I don’t know yet if it would be blacktop or concrete or whatever.”
If all goes well, the first phase of the path could be finished by October of next year, he said.
“I would think [the first phase] would run from Berlin Falls at Old Ocean City Boulevard in the railroad right of way down to where it hits Main Street, where the new library is going to be,” Engelhard said. “A midtown section could pickup on the other side of Main and run down through town, that would be phase two.
“Eventually it could run to the southern border of town, right to the Brittany Lane, Evans Road area, and, hopefully, the county could partner with us,” he added. “Maybe we could have the [path] in the railroad right of way all the way to Snow Hill or all the way to Pocomoke. There are a lot of options for it.”
Nationally and in Maryland, Engelhard said there is a huge push for more biking and pedestrian paths.
“It ties in good with the park, and if the first phase ends by the new library, that’s also a good thing,” he said.
The funding was specifically earmarked for acquiring licensing fees for a right-of-way easement to use the area near the existing rail line owned by the Maryland-Delaware Railroad Co. At the time, Planning Director Dave Engelhart said a grant from the Maryland Bikeways program could help pay for design work.
While it took a little longer than expected, the town was approved for the grant late last month and work on the project is moving forward — albeit at a somewhat unhurried pace.
As of last Friday, Engelhart said he’s waiting to hear from the railroad on the access agreement and that he had to check in with the Maryland Department of Transportation, which oversees the Bikeways program, by Nov. 30.
After that, the town would move into the design phase.
“Hopefully, we can get [design work] done by May or June in time for the next grant cycle,” he said. “If we had that design done, which is paid for by the first grant, we could be looking for construction money and start building it.”
Exactly who will do the design work is still up in the air, although Engelhart said the town would likely release a request for proposal to solicit bids.
He said the path would be 10 feet wide with two feet of “freeboard” space on either side.
“That fits in the railroad right of way nicely, and that’s the ideal bikeway path,” he said. “I don’t know yet if it would be blacktop or concrete or whatever.”
If all goes well, the first phase of the path could be finished by October of next year, he said.
“I would think [the first phase] would run from Berlin Falls at Old Ocean City Boulevard in the railroad right of way down to where it hits Main Street, where the new library is going to be,” Engelhard said. “A midtown section could pickup on the other side of Main and run down through town, that would be phase two.
“Eventually it could run to the southern border of town, right to the Brittany Lane, Evans Road area, and, hopefully, the county could partner with us,” he added. “Maybe we could have the [path] in the railroad right of way all the way to Snow Hill or all the way to Pocomoke. There are a lot of options for it.”
Nationally and in Maryland, Engelhard said there is a huge push for more biking and pedestrian paths.
“It ties in good with the park, and if the first phase ends by the new library, that’s also a good thing,” he said.