News

'Game-changing' grants push Ecusta Trail 'to the finish line'

By Lightning Reports, Published: July 7, 2023

Separate announcements from the federal transportation department that the Ecusta Trail has been awarded $46 million to fund construction led trail supporters to praise the volunteerism, teamwork and leadership that pushed the project to the finish line.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration on Thursday announced the award of $21.4 million to the NCDOT for the Ecusta Trail, which will connect the statewide bike route system with Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville.

The project includes construction and completion of the entire Ecusta Rail Trail, the 18.8-mile shared-use path on an abandoned railroad route that will connect the county seats of Henderson and Transylvania counties in Western North Carolina to Pisgah National Forest. The new grant came just weeks after the announcement that the trail would receive a $24.5 million grant from the federal transportation department’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.

"Henderson County and all the partners involved in the Ecusta Trail project are extremely thankful to have received both the NSFLTP and RAISE grants," Henderson County said in a statement. "We will continue working with our partners and the DOT on the best way to administer these grants."

Other trail supporters also reacted to the news:

• “This game-changing grant fills a major gap in the funding needed to complete construction of the Ecusta Trail and provides a tremendous boost towards making the dream a reality,” said Kieran Roe, executive director of Conserving Carolina. “Conserving Carolina is grateful for the leadership of the City of Brevard in pursuing this opportunity and for the strong partnership of organizations and community leaders that came together to develop this successful grant.”
• “The Ecusta Trail greenway was a priority of mine as a former North Carolina senator, and as a member of Congress, I’m pleased to see it reach the finish line,” said U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a former board member of the Friends of Ecusta Trail. “I look forward to the benefits this trail will bring to our businesses and our citizens. I applaud and am grateful to the numerous groups who helped bring this project to fruition, and to the Department of Transportation for recognizing the importance of this trail to the local economy and community.”
• “This is a great example of what is possible when everyone works together,” said Chuck McGrady, chair of Henderson County’s Ecusta Rail Trail Advisory Committee. “Our successes in raising money to buy and construct the Ecusta Trail are a product of collaboration of many partners, including the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the City of Hendersonville, Town of Laurel Park, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee.”​
• “We are ecstatic about the NSFLTP grant award toward the construction of the Ecusta Trail,” said Mark Tooley, president of Friends of the Ecusta Trail. “After 14 years, from trail conception to the start of construction, the Friends of the Ecusta Trail has been unwavering in their advocacy and support for the trail and its undeniable benefits for our region.”
• “We have been pursuing every opportunity for funding,” said Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof. “It is a true testament to the shared vision and commitment of all our partners that we received both grants. I look forward to moving ahead expeditiously to turn what has been the dream of this trail into the reality of a worldclass regional trail system.”

The city of Brevard is the lead organization for the Transylvania County portion of the trail. As the administrator of the grant, NCDOT will collaborate with the city and its partners to work through the details of how the funding can be applied to the project’s engineering and construction, the city said in a news release.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, we are delivering infrastructure improvements on Federal and Tribal lands that communities have needed for decades,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement Thursday. “With today’s announcement, we’re making it easier for Americans to access some of our greatest natural wonders, and improving road safety in Tribal communities, which face some of the highest rates of traffic deaths in the nation.”

The Ecusta Trail was one of seven projects to receive federal grants totaling $130.5 million under the highway administration's Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation Projects Program. The grants announced Thursday, which recognize transportation projects of national significance that serve Federal and Tribal lands, are part of Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our infrastructure and deliver big wins for the American people.

“With this grant that is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re helping to deliver safe and reliable transportation investments that will help families and visitors explore key destinations in North Carolina such as Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The Ecusta Rail Trail will provide an excellent opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and others to enjoy the great outdoors, while also providing climate-friendly connections to local communities and other destinations throughout the region.”