SNOW HILL– Worcester County officials agreed to send a letter of support as the Town of Berlin seeks federal grant funding to improve accessibility.
The Worcester County Commissioners this week agreed to send a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Town of Berlin seeks grant funding from the agency. The town is hoping to get funding through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program to explore the concept of a pedestrian bridge over Route 113.
Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall reached out to county officials this month to request support as the municipality applies for funding through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program. The program provides financial support to jurisdictions trying to reconnect communities by retrofitting or mitigating highways that create barriers in order to improve access to things like job, education, healthcare, food and recreation.
“Priority is given to disadvantaged communities…,” a memo to the commissioners reads. “This project will focus on engaging community partners and stakeholders to identify options to address the U.S. Rt. 113 barrier, to include identifying areas to create safe crosswalks for walkers and cyclists, and developing preliminary plans to assist the town in securing future grant funding to construct the project. Because the town qualifies as a disadvantaged community, there is no matching fund requirement to be eligible for RCN funding.”
The draft of the letter to be sent to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the project would include engaging stakeholders about the project.
“The initial phase of the project will include engaging community partners and stakeholders to identify options to address the U.S. Rt. 113 barrier, to include identifying areas to create safe crosswalks for walkers and cyclists, and developing concept drawings, a feasibility study, and preliminary engineering plans for a bridge over the highway,” the letter reads. “This bridge will connect to existing and proposed cycling and pedestrian facilities in the Worcester County Greenways and Trails plan, many of which are already in development.”
The project is described as a way to address the barrier the construction of Route 113 created for Berlin residents, whose access to reaching schools, health services and business opportunities is in some cases curtailed by the highway.
