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Trails for area getting closer
Greenway will span Coastal Georgia, Eastern Seaboard
greenway map
The Liberty County Commission blessed a project that will soon link parts of Coastal Georgia with the rest of the East Coast through a recreation project spanning the height of the country.
The project, the East Coast Greenway, is a network of more than 3,000 miles of trails connecting Calais, Maine, to Key West, Fla. Georgia’s six coastal counties, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, Camden, Glynn and McIntosh, could host segments of the trail in what is called the Coastal Georgia Greenway.
Jo Hickson, executive director of the Coastal Georgia Greenway, Inc., asked for support from Liberty County officials last week so she can submit a grant for about $20 million to jumpstart Georgia’s portion.
“We are seeking to get unified regional support for the TIGER Grant,” Hickson said, explaining the grant is under President Obama’s economic stimulus funds called Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.
Hickson said the first phase will consist of two segments: one stretching from Savannah to Richmond Hill and a second that will stretch from the Sapelo Island Welcome Center to Jekyll Island.
Those first phase sections will not reach into Liberty County. But later phases could eventually connect with trails here.
“It’s a multi-purpose trail for local people committed to not to using their car to commute or for distance cycling,” she said. “It’s also a destination activity that will encourage tourism and boost the local economy.”
Pat Bowen was the only commissioner to vote against the project. He said he was concerned with costs.
“Didn’t she [Hickson] mention that the county would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of certain trails?” Bowen asked.
County Administrator Joey Brown said the grant application did include a stipulation requiring the county to provide maintenance.
According to Hickson the U.S. Department of Transportation will oversee the project and estimates that the first phase will be completed in about two years. Because the TIGER Grant will only fund the first phase of the project, Hickson doesn’t know when or where construction will take in Liberty County.
The most discussed possibility is a horse/walking trail along Cay Creek Road between Midway and Riceboro. The proposed Coastal Georgia Rails to Trails route from Riceboro to Woodbine is separate, but associated with the Greenway.
“We will continue to seek funding for Liberty and Camden counties,” Hickson said.
For more information on the project, visit www.coastalgeorgiagreenway.org or www.greenway.org.
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