B
ert Kuyrkendall, city transportation engineer, said the focus of the 33rd Rail-to-Trail “is transportation not recreation.” If the grant he hopes to apply for is accepted, construction will begin on a $2,200,000 project, with the city of Chattanooga’s portion costing $440,000.
The Chattanooga City Council discussed a resolution which would authorize administration to apply for the CMAQ Grant (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement) from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Mr. Kuyrkendall said the grant would allow for the design and construction of the 33rd Rail-to-Trail shared use path, approximately one mile long, which would provide facilities “to connect Alton Park to the rest of the city.” He said that though there is not an existing master plan, the greenway will connect to St. Elmo, which then connects to the Riverwalk.
Councilman Larry Grohn expressed concern about how many people would actually use the path and the overall cost of the project.
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my hands around the city’s side of $440,000, how much benefit were going to get from this project,” he said.
Councilman Grohn said “the 9/10 of a mile” of Shallowford Road itself, with sidewalks on both sides, was only $2,200,000.
“I think that this is a huge stretch for what the CMAQ Grant is meant to do in terms of congestion and reducing air pollution,” he said.
Councilman Chris Anderson said there is always a lot of interest whenever anyone wants to spend money in his district. He assured Mr. Kuyrkendall he would support him however he could.
“It shocks me, shocks me, that a member of this body would say that we shouldn't apply for that grant or imply that we don’t meet the criteria,” he said.
Chairman Moses Freeman said Rail-to-Trail is “a connectivity kind of thing to bring us all together.”
Mr. Kuyrkendall said there were many benefits, including green spaces, and that the project fits the spirit of the CMAQ grant “in that it connects an entire neighborhood to a lot of opportunities in the city.”
Councilwoman Carol Berz pointed out that “the administration is asking for permission to apply for a grant which they may not get.”
“We’re not approving those dollars now,” she said. “The $440,000, that’s anticipatory. . . because the future council is not bound to pay for it."