This week we met with Jim Gugel and Ron Burns from Frederick County, MD Division of Planning and Permitting. We reviewed their 1999 Bike Plan and the changes they intend to make before moving a draft forward this June. Our proposed Monocacy Crossing Trail is on the plan and is likely to be considered a priority. The plan refers to it as the Pennsylvania Railroad Trail, but it needs to be updated to reflect the new position over the Monocacy River and to continue to Heritage Farm Park.
The key takeaways are:
- The county is considering codifying a policy known as Complete Streets (As proposed by the National Complete Streets Coalition)
- is just a draft, still in the works
- A final draft will be complete in June
- This will have to go through various approvals and public hearing
- Some paths will be deleted
- Catoctin Creek
- Bush Creek (east of MD 75)
- Linganore Creek (East of Gas House Pike)
- Emmitsburg Railroad
- Monocacy Greenway - (between Monocacy National Battlefield and MD 28)
- Walkersville to Woodsboro
- Priorities will be set based on criteria including: amount of public support, path or path sections that fill gaps, areas that will be connected, population density and areas being served
- The plan does not include specific engineering details for the proposed paths, only the general descriptions of the paths
- Funding is always scarce and these paths will need to compete for county, state, and federal grant funds
Thanks to all of those that came out, especially Jeff Behm Photography for taking these photos!
