The little town of Sheffield, Alabama is building a 3 mile bike trail to attract tourism to it's historic district and to provide a new recreation space for the community. The paved trail will cost @ $700,000; the town is paying $140k and the balance is coming from a transportation enhancement grant.

The reason I bring up this trail is the novel approach that the people of Sheffield are taking to meld the trail into their mature urban landscape. The trail will be routed over a conglomeration of renewed sidewalks and fresh trail but it will also carve 8' at times from existing streets. Though the town recognizes that it will loose some downtown parking spaces in the process, folks there are confident that the benefits will outweigh any negatives.

Read the complete news story about this bike trail project:
http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070225/NEWS/702250350/1011

Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future.

Labels: Alabama, bike trail, Sheffield, urban planning