Harry W. Nice Bridge plan stalled with no funding for construction
By Phyllis Cook
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Supervisor Cedell Brooks questioned the need for the bridge to have a bicycle/pedestrian path and also wanted to know how much that added to the cost.
“Nobody rides bicycles that much on U.S. 301 because 301 really doesn’t have shoulders to accommodate bicycles,” Brooks said.
Saying the cost range for the bicycle/pedestrian path is estimated at $70 million–$90 million, Smith added, “We are getting direction from Federal Highway (Administration) for any major projects to begin incorporating all modes of transportation on all our highway projects.”
Smith also said that counties on both sides of the river have planning for bike routes in the future, adding there would be connecting points and it would tie into Wayside and Barnesfield parks.
Supervisor James Mullen said he agreed with Brooks, saying “There’s not that much bicycle traffic on the Virginia side.” He added, “Nobody rides a bike on the shoulders.”
Supervisor John LoBuglio also criticized the bicycle/pedestrian path, saying, “I too have reservations about, you know, spending that kind of money in these times, you know, $70-90M. That is a huge amount when we’re basically mostly worried about traffic itself.”
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[B’ Spokes: My first point is that 10% of the total project cost for bike/ped is not that big of deal. Federal policy (law?) is that you cannot nix the bike/ped portion unless it’s over 20% of the total project costs. Next, bike accommodations have to begin somewhere.]
https://www.journalpress.com/king-george/2136-harry-w-nice-bridge-plan-stalled-with-no-funding-for-constructionoldId.20101028170826323
2 Replies to “Why build bike access when no one bikes because of the lack of access?”
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Gotta love how they’re concerned about "traffic itself" in opposition to cyclists and pedestrians. Because, you know, we don’t count.
We are fighting something similar in Cleveland on a project called the InnerBelt Bridge. It is a 50 year old highway bridge that carries traffic from 3 different interstates over the Cuyahoga River Valley and into downtown. This bridge is being replaced at a cost of $400 Million. The new bridge could have connected a vibrant Cleveland neighborhood called Tremont directly to downtown for cyclists and pedestrians. The anticipated cost of such an accommodation was never officially determined, but $20 Million was thrown around a lot. Obviously, this amount is well under the 20% Guideline determined by the FHWA. But our Dept of Transportation did an end play around that requirement by filing the Environmental Impact Statement by declaring that ‘sufficient’ bike/ped accommodation existed within one mile of the crossing. We are still battling! Keep up the fight!! Bike/Ped accommodations are critical to the future livability and viability of urban places.