State Budget Committee Backs Markell On Cycling, Including Funding for Bike/Ped Bridge Over the Christina River to Complete Wilmington-New Castle Greenway

A rendering of the proposed bridge over the Christina River to complete the Wilmington-New Castle Greenway. Funding for this bridge was included in the capital budget passed yesterday by the Delaware General Assembly's Joint Committee on Capital Improvement.

A rendering of the proposed bridge over the Christina River to complete the Wilmington-New Castle Greenway. Funding for this bridge is included in House Bill 425, which will be voted on by the Delaware General Assembly on Monday.

On Monday, the Delaware General Assembly will vote on an FY15 capital budget bill (House Bill 425) for the state. Delaware’s legislative capital budget writing committee unanimously passed a proposed bill on June 19. Despite lower than projected revenues that necessitated cuts in several of the funding priorities identified in Governor Jack Markell’s budget proposed in January, the committee decided to fully fund all of the governor’s proposed line items related to cycling, including $3.6 million for “Bike and Pedestrian Improvements” (DelDOT) and $2.7 million for “Statewide Trails and Pathways” (DNREC).

Although not shown as a line item in HB425, part of the $3.6 million in “Bike and Pedestrian Improvements” funding for DelDOT will be used for the final phase of the 7 mile Wilmington-New Castle Greenway, including a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Christina River (see image of the proposed bridge above).

A large part of the $2.7 million for the “Statewide Trails and Pathways” funding for DNREC will be used to build the Assawoman Canal Trail in Bethany Beach.

Governor Markell’s and the committee’s support for cycling projects involved the use of state and federal “discretionary” funds that could have been used for other purposes. The bill passed by the committee on June 19 also included two primarily walking-related line items, but these were federally mandated programs where the state had little or no discretion regarding the funding’s purpose. “Transportation Enhancements” (DelDOT) and “Safe Routes to School” (DelDOT) will be funded at $4.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively. Over 94% of that funding will come from restricted federal funds that cannot be used for any other purpose and will be used almost entirely for sidewalks and ‘streetscaping.’

Two years ago, this committee approved an historic commitment to cycling. The $6.3 million dollars in additional cycling funding for FY15 that the capital budget committee voted last week was not as impressive as the $13.25 million it voted in 2012. But it still represents a serious and creditable ongoing commitment by state government, including the governor and the Delaware General Assembly, and DelDOT and DNREC leadership. Particularly in a capital budget where other priorities received serious cuts, we’ll take it.

The final vote by the Delaware General Assembly on the state’s capital budget (HB425) will be Monday, June 30.

Do any of the 12 members of the capital budget writing committee represent the district that you live in? If they do, please – Please! – THANK THEM for supporting cycling in Delaware!

Really: one thank you email is worth somewhere between 20 and 90 complaining emails. (We have scientific proof of that.) Check out the list of committee members here to see if you recognize any of them and, if you do, send them a quick thank you! They’ll be glad you did. And you’ll be glad you did.