Oktibbeha County will receive up to $795,360 in federal funds to extend the recently completed Lynn Lane bike and pedestrian path to the south end of the Mississippi State University campus.
In January, county supervisors, the city of Starkville and MSU agreed to partner to provide up to $200,000 in matching funds for the federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Oktibbeha County District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller shared a letter Wednesday evening from Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert confirming the grant, which will cover 80 percent of the project, has been funded.
The new path is designed to pick up where the Lynn Lane path ends at the corner of South Montgomery and Locksley Way. Once built, the path will go down all of Locksley Way and then head east on Blackjack Road, ending at the intersection of Blackjack and Stone Boulevard, near the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
Combined, the new and old paths would provide approximately two miles of pedestrian and bike access from MSU to McKee Park.
Miller said the project would take approximately three years to complete.
“I’m very grateful that MSU, the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County could come together to partner on this project,” Miller said. “With all of us working together, the return on investment of our local dollars is going to be very high.”