[at-l] watt

[Carla & Dave Hicks]

I don't have a crystal ball -- but for now, it's not funded.

Chainsaw

BTW -- the ATC is trying to convince Bland (and on another front, Pearisburg) 
that there is money to be made in becoming a "trail-town."

They are trying to drum up local BBB-type of backing to trump lack of Club 
support.

~~~~~~~~~
>From an ATC employee:

The I-77 Relo is out for 2008.  The land that has been taken by condemnation 
is causing some hard feelings in that area.  An ATC Conference call between 
Kerry Wood, Pam Underhill and Bob Prodman will be done soon to discuss this 
problem.

The City of Bland has an $800,000 grant to build trails near the city. They 
would like to build an connecting trail to the ATC so hikers can get more 
safely into town.  Parking lots will be made near the new trails.

~~~~~~~~~~

>From a Club member:

This is a summary of the meeting that ... attended in Bland on the I-77 Bridge 
and relocation of the AT off of the road (52, 612 and gravel road walk).  I
am sending this to you to keep you all informed and in the loop.  I want 
everyone to know what is going on and what to expect.  As a club we did not
originally support it as it stood originally.  But with the town of Bland 
planning to build a blue blaze trail to connect to it, it looks more 
practical.  Bland
wishes to increase trail traffic into town and seems to want to make it a 
trail town much like Damascus and other trail towns along the AT.  We will see 
what
comes out of the feasibility study of building the bridge.  But I believe we 
can be assured that a connector trail will be build on the South side of 52.
This should take some of the heat off of the land acquisitions made in the 
90's under unfortunate condemnations which led to some ill feelings in the
community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Bland County Messenger


Foot bridge over I-77 discussed
Jeffrey Simmons
Bland County Messenger: News >
Tue Apr 15, 2008 - 02:27 PM


By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A proposed Appalachian Trail foot bridge across Interstate 77 in Bland County
is headed toward the design stage. A location design contract-which will
verify the exact location of the bridge and develop a preliminary design - is
expected to cost approximately $100,000.
"There are grants available," noted Laura Belleville, conservation director
for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Appalachian Trail regional director
for Southwest Virginia and Bristol. "Transportation enhancement funding is a
federal program which provides money to the state for some kinds of trail
projects through the Federal Highway Administration. We should be eligible for
some of that funding."
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based non-profit organization
dedicated to the conservation of the 2,175-mile Appalachian National Scenic
Trail, a 250,000-acre greenway extending from Maine to Georgia. The group's
mission is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and
water, scenic visits, wildlife and opportunities for recreation and renewal
along the entire trail corridor.
The foot bridge was the subject of a recent meeting in Bland County attended
by representatives from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, PATH, the U.S.
Forest Service, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Draper Aden
Associates and Bland County Administration. The possibility of the proposed
bridge and its coordination with a proposed Appalachian Trail relocation with
a new Bland connector trail in development was discussed.
County Administrator Jonathan D. Sweet noted a connector trail from the
pedestrian bridge location through the national forest land then along other
public property or along Route 52 to Bland has tourism potential for the
county. The greenway, he said, would be an encouragement for hikers to come
into town and could encourage people to stop in Bland to walk the connector up
and over the bridge.
"Spin off businesses such as restaurants, laundry facilities, shower
facilities, outfitters and more would be possible," Sweet said. "We must
embrace our natural resources to stimulate our economy. We have 56 miles of
the Appalachian Trail, which is more than any other county in the state."
As proposed, the enclosed bridge would be approximately 300 feet long and 3.5
feet wide with a 20-foot clearance above the interstate. It would be built on
the south side of the interstate bridge between Bland and Bastian.
According to Belleville, the foot bridge will move the Appalachian Trail off
the potentially dangerous road walk along Route 52. It will still have to
eventually cross Route 52 at some point.
"It will eliminate walking along so much of Route 52," Sweet said.
"It's not unusual to have foot bridges across interstates or major highways,"
Belleville added. "There are several in the Mid-Atlantic region including one
across the James River in Virginia.
Funding for the bridge - estimated to cost $500,000 now - also was discussed.
Various grants and appropriations are possible sources.
According to the timeline developed by the conservancy, identifying financing
for construction will take place in 2015 to 2016 with construction completed
in 2016 to 2017. Finding funding for the location design contract will be done
over the next two years with the design phase completed between 2010 and 2012.
"While it was not discussed in any detail at the meeting," Belleville stated,
"it is critical to note that this proposed relocation cannot be completed
until the abandoned structures along Route 52 are demolished. One recently
acquired house sits right at the Route 52 crossing. Funding may be identified
as soon as possible to demolish these structures."
Ownership of the bridge after construction is another issue. The owner would
be responsible for submitting inspection reports to VDOT.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or wquesenb at wythenews.com.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Felix J" <AThiker at smithville.net>
To: "at-l" <AT-L at backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 6:10 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] watt


Carla & Dave Hicks wrote:
>
> It was the brain child of the ATC Southwest and Central Virginia Regional
> Office.  Once they got the land condemned and taken away from the locals, 
> they
> can't lose face -- objections of local maintaining clubs, USFS, VDOT, etc
> notwithstanding.
>

So, does that mean that it's still going to happen? And, if
so...shouldn't we be writing letters?

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