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You Asked: What happened to the plan to build bicycle paths in Franklin?

FRANKLIN—A plan to add bicycle paths throughout the city was approved by the City Council, but a lack of funding is slowing down progress on the project.

Community Development Coordinator Donald Goodwin said the only thing that has been done to this point is the installation of “Share the road” signs along Armory Drive because it is too narrow for bike lanes.

“We would like to pursue grants for bike trails on existing roads,” Goodwin said.

He said grants for the project would be available from the Virginia Department of Transportation and other sources.

“The city doesn’t have the funding for the bike paths right now,” Goodwin said. “We wanted to go ahead and develop the plan to open up the gates for grant funding.”

The bike and pedestrian pathways are part of a rural six-year plan, said Russ Pace, public works director. He said future plans include adding pathways to both sides of the roadway on a stretch of Hunterdale Road from Clay Street to the city limits, but bids on that project won’t go out until 2013.

Goodwin added that other future plans would involve pathways linking the Martin Luther King Center to Barrett’s Landing.