N. C bike path will fill a missing link

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C.

Every morning, vehicles line up by the dozens at First Flight Middle School as parents wait to drop off their children at the front door.

But town officials are hoping a new bike and pedestrian path will encourage more students to burn more calories and less gas on the way to school.

The state Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program has awarded a $299,700 federal grant to Kill Devil Hills to fund construction of a path connecting to the existing Wright Brothers path at the end of First Street.

The path would provide a link for residents in First Flight Village, Wright Woods and other Westside subdivisions to walk or bike to the elementary, middle and high schools, as well as the town offices, the county library and senior center, and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.

"We look at it as a kind of expansion of what's there," said Greg Loy, town planning director. "It's not only to the schools but also to the rec center, the library, the new skate park. There's a whole lot more to it for school-age kids than the academic part of it."

The town will soon submit the path's design plan to the state and will enter into an agreement with the DOT before construction begins, said Shanda Davenport, the town planner. Once the agreement is signed, the state requires the project to be completed within 24 months.

The grant will cover most of the project, Davenport said, but the total costs will not be known until the contract is bid.

The Safe Routes to School program targets kindergart ners through eighth-grader s. Infrastructure projects must be within two miles of a school and be on public property.

In 2008, there were 669 students attending First Flight Middle School, with 237 of them living within a 2-mile radius.

John Donlan, the school's principal, said that on recent nice days he has counted as many as 32 bicycles in the school's three bike racks. Most bikers ride together with friends, he said, and teachers are posted at busy spots to help them cross.

Donlan said he expects that the growing numbers of riders will increase even more with the new path, especially those who live in subdivisions north of the school.

"I think it's just going to be a little more safe and direct route for the kids," he said. "Most of the kids who ride do come from those neighborhoods.

Similar to the shared-use path on Bay Drive, the 3/4-mile asphalt path will be 10 feet wide with an additional 5-foot median, Loy said. It will be constructed along the west side of First Street.

"It's supposed to be designed for all ages and abilities," Loy said. "It's not going to be just for kids, that's for sure."

Sarah O'Brien, the program's interim coordinator, said the Kill Devil Hills path is the first project in Dare County to receive a Safe Routes grant.

A total of $15.6 million has been awarded to North Carolina since 2005, she said.

Loy said the town is about to study the need for other multi-use paths in the town, and in the future he expects that recreational paths will stretch from the Nags Head border to Kitty Hawk. But meanwhile, every little bit helps in encouraging healthy activities and less driving, he said.

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com