North East to get its first bike trail design

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Transportation, through its Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program, has awarded $1.7 million for design projects in several jurisdictions including the town of North East.

The waterfront town will use its grant funding to create its first-ever bicycle trail and pedestrian trail.

“The over arching goal is how do we get people from North East Town Park to Snatcher’s Run Park without being in traffic,” said Mayor Kelly Benson as an example of what could happen. “We’re going to develop a blueprint of connectivity that is not on a street to connect all these points in town.” This could connect walkers and cyclists to the Mason Dixon Trail, Maryland Greenway and Elk Neck State Forest, he added.

Benson is the owner of FIN Outdoor Recreation and Bay Venture Outfitters, which rents bicycles to the public. However he said this idea was conceived before any of those businesses. He does not rent bikes in North East, but rather kayaks.

He noted that the downtown portion of Main Street — the town’s economic and tourism engine — is often full of vehicle traffic, pedestrian traffic and bicycles. This blueprint would give town leaders ideas on how to give walkers and cyclists easy, safer access.

North East received $50,000 from that pot of state grant money. Benson said the town has to chip in $10,000 toward that amount.

“The matching grant money is coming from another grant source that has to be spent by the end of the year,” Benson said Friday. “There’s no timeline to get this (blueprint) done but it will go pretty quickly.

“This will be a catalyst to get the conversation going,” he added. “Then we’ll go out and get more grant money.”