Ways to get around Starkville without a car—on foot or bicycle—are growing. Efforts continue to build paths for walking, biking and jogging.
"Bike and pedestrian connectivity is at the heart of a well-functioning, sustainable community," said Mayor Parker Wiseman.
One of the largest projects—the Lynn Lane 1.7 mile multi-use path—was completed March 4.
"The Lynn Lane project provides a lot of benefits," said City Engineer Edward Kemp. "It provides accessibility to our parks and provides alternate modes of transportation for all the residential developments along Lynn Lane and even Louisville Street. It provides greater access for the SMART transit system because it provides a better network for pedestrians to access the bus stops."
The project lasted multiple city administrations and was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives Program, which is administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
An extension TAP application was made by the county, city and Mississippi State University officials for the Lynn Lane project to add pathways from its end of South Montgomery Street to Blackjack Road and connect with MSU.
County officials will be notified in April if the grant will be awarded.
The TAP process has been a vital resource for the city, Wiseman said.
"Right now we are building one major bike and pedestrian project every year with the federal government paying for 80 percent of it," Wiseman said. "I think it's reasonable for us to expect to be able to do one of these projects on the TAP program every year."
In order to receive the most funding, projects need to be evaluated on an annual basis, Wiseman said.
"The key to it, because it takes three to four years for construction, is to stay ahead and have a new project in the application pipeline," Wiseman said. "If you are doing that every year, you should have the one that's been in the works for three to four years up in construction and a steady stream of these projects."
The next large project will add pedestrian and bike paths to Russell Street as part of a larger initiative to redesign the busy corridor. The plan will add a central turn lane, adjusting the flow of traffic and provide safe access points for residents walking to Mississippi State University.
Designs for the Russell Street plan are still in progress, Kemp said.
"I'd say we are probably 90 percent through with the design," Kemp said. "There will be a final MDOT review forthcoming within the next 30 to 40 days and we are hoping construction will start sometime in the fall or late summer."
Safety concerns prompted the investigation and eventual TAP application.
"It will improve the safety of the corridor," Kemp said. "With the new residential development happening, there's going to be people that want to walk to and from their apartments. This project will help improve the safety for the residents and the businesses on Russell Street."
Another pending TAP application would extend the Louisville Street improvement plans, Wiseman said.
Multi-use paths were added from Lynn Lane to Yellow Jacket Drive.
"It's pretty typical of when we do roadway improvements to do pedestrian path improvements," Kemp said.
Other projects
Multi-use paths were added to Garrard Road and sidewalks were added to Hospital Road along with bike lanes on University Drive as part of a grant secured by MSU's Carl Small Town Center in 2003.
A small sidewalk extension will add new sidewalks and a crosswalk on a section of Highway 182 near Henderson School to add safer access points for students going to and from the school.
A project to connect sections of sidewalks on North Jackson Street in front of Dollar General is in the design stages, Kemp said.
On March 15, aldermen approved a contractor for the Montgomery Street sidewalk improvement project. The improvement plan will remove stairs on sections of the sidewalk preventing ADA access to the sidewalk.