Berlin Council Supports ‘Rails And Trails’ Bike Path Idea

Berlin Council Supports ‘Rails And Trails’ Bike Path Idea
A portion of the railroad track that’s no longer in use in Berlin is shown. Photo by Charlene Sharpe

BERLIN – Plans for a bike path along the railroad tracks in Berlin are expected to move forward following approval of a design proposal.

On Monday the Berlin Town Council approved a design and engineering proposal for the Berlin Bikeways Project from Davis, Bowen & Friedel (DBF). Dave Engelhart, the town’s planning director, said all of the parties involved were excited about the project’s potential.

“Elsewhere in the state where they abandoned railroad tracks you have rails to trails,” Engelhart said. “This is the first that would be rails and trails because the rails would be remaining.”

Engelhart said he’d applied for and received grant funding from the Maryland Bikeways Program for design of a mixed use path after the idea was proposed by Mayor Gee Williams. Engelhart said that because the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company’s easement in Berlin was for 33 feet from the center of the tracks, there was room for a bike path. According to state officials, the ideal bike or pedestrian path is 10-feet wide with a 2-foot gravel buffer.

Since the town received its $30,000 grant in December, Engelhart has been working with railroad officials and DBF. On Monday he presented the council with the engineering firm’s proposal as well as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the railroad.

He said DBF had submitted a $35,000 design and engineering proposal for the potentially 1.7-mile path. While the grant would cover the bulk of the cost, the town would be responsible for $5,000.

Engelhart said there were also costs associated with the agreement with the railroad. In addition to a one-time “preparation fee” of $1,500, in order to secure its access to the right-of-way, the town would be expected to pay $1,500 annually as a reservation fee. Once the path — which will probably be broken into three phases — is constructed, the reservation fee will be eliminated and instead the town will pay .10 cents per square foot of pathway. That will result in an annual fee of approximately $12,569.

Councilman Dean Burrell asked how the east side of Berlin would be included in the project.

Engelhart explained that after the path’s design is done, he planned to apply for a construction grant. He said that after that, he could pursue funding for design of a path across Route 113.

Williams suggested he research the possibility of using parts of the town’s old railroad bed, as that was a way to extend the proposed path to the east side of town.

“I agree it’s going to take a while — but not decades — to build this out,” Williams said.

The council voted 4-0, with Councilman Elroy Brittingham absent, to approve the MOU as well as the design proposal.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.