Agency Presented with Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Award
(November 10, 2021) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) was honored today with an award recognizing outstanding state Recreational Trails Programs (RTP). The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), a federation of national and regional trail-related organizations, presented MDOT SHA with its 2021 Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Award. Cheryl Ladota, manager of Maryland’s RTP, accepted the award for her team during a virtual ceremony.
The RTP is a federal discretionary grant program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. Through the program, states award and administer federal funding to local government and nonprofit sponsors to develop and maintain land and water-based recreational trails and trail-related facilities for motorized and non-motorized recreational trail users.
“This award from the Coalition for Recreational Trails is a tremendous honor because it recognizes MDOT’s role in a collaborative effort that spans every level: federal, state and local governments as well as grassroots organizations,” MDOT Secretary Greg Slater said. “As a partner agency, the assistance of Maryland Department of Natural Resources is especially critical and appreciated. The work we’re all doing together to promote trails, bikeways and pedestrian access has a positive impact on communities across the state, improving our transportation network and raising the quality of life for all Marylanders.”
FAST-Act legislation provides Maryland an average of $1 million per year for the RTP. Since the program’s inception in 1991, $25 million has been awarded in Maryland to fund 1,000 projects, with $9.5 million in local investment.
In 2021 alone, MDOT SHA awarded a total of $1,027,997 to 14 projects, including initiatives in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester counties. For the complete of 2021 recipients and details of each project, click HERE.
According to CRT, more than 30,000 projects and programs have been completed nationally since 1991. Soon after the start of the program, CRT was formed to advocate and provide support to local trail programs, and to share information on program successes. One of the ways CRT achieves these goals is by bringing national recognition to trail projects and programs exemplifying outstanding use of funds – such as Maryland’s program.
MDOT SHA was the lone state award recipient for the RTP. The ceremony also honored 12 trail projects in 10 categories: Construction and Design, Education and Communication, Multiple-Use Management/Corridor Sharing, Community Linkage, Maintenance and Rehabilitation, Accessibility Enhancement, Public-Private Partnerships and Access to/Use of Public Lands, Youth Conservation/Service Corps, Enhancement of Federal Lands, and Engaging Public-Sector Partners. For additional information on the CRT and the honored projects and programs, visit rectrails.org.
The RTP is one of three grant programs that MDOT administers to help local jurisdictions and stakeholders advance bike, pedestrian and recreational trail projects. This year the state administered the awarding of a combined $16.8 million in grants for 42 projects in Maryland: $1 million through the RTP, $12.4 million in federal funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program, and nearly $3.4 million in state funding through MDOT’s Kim Lamphier Bikeways Network Program.
To learn more about Maryland’s RTP, visit roads.maryland.gov. Information about bikeway, pedestrian and trail grants and other news is available on MDOT’s WalkCycleMD Twitter and Facebook pages, @WalkCycleMD and facebook.com/WalkCycleMD.
Editor’s Note
From intersection improvements to widening and new interchange construction, MDOT SHA is investing in projects to enhance the commute and daily travel for millions of Marylanders. MDOT SHA maintains more than 2,500 bridges and 17,000 miles of non-toll state roads – the interstate, US and state numbered routes in Maryland’s 23 counties.