Officials hailed the launch of construction efforts associated with a transformative Lynn Lane pedestrian and bike path as the epitome of civic tenacity and the power of grassroots volunteerism.
Various city and state representatives ceremoniously turned dirt and formally dedicated the 1.7-mile, $1.2 million project Tuesday, which will connect a Starkville Parks and Recreation hub — McKee Park and the Sportsplex — to Locksley Way.
The corridor is expected to provide a south Starkville connection to Mississippi State University in the future, while current infrastructure connects residential areas and apartment complexes to Starkville High School, Starkville Academy and Starkville Christian School.
The Lynn Lane connection to the Sportsplex is expected to see a high volume of usage, as the park serves as a city-campus connecting stop in the Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit system.
Construction should conclude in August.
The idea for the multiuse path came about in 2004 after researchers identified and presented five major projects to improve pedestrian and bicycle traffic in Starkville: the Lynn Lane project; bike and pedestrian improvements along Hospital Road, Hiwassee Drive, University Drive and Highway 182; and the development of trails alongside existing Kansas City Southern Railroad Company tracks that would link downtown with western Highway 12 and the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development park.
Community activists formed Starkville in Motion in 2005 to solve issues once grant monies received by MSU’s Carl Small Town Center ran out.
Group members took on a number of projects themselves, including advocating for University Drive bike lanes and co-authoring a Miss. Department of Transportation-subsidized grant with Starkville School District to fund Safe Routes to Schools and the Lynn Lane grant, which was submitted in 2006. Hospital Road sidewalks were also installed in the meantime.
“(The Lynn Lane multiuse path) took vision, persistence, patience and expertise,” said SIM President Ron Cossman said. “Starkville has been named Mississippi’s Healthiest Hometown once already. With collaboration and commitment, we can continue that.”
In 2007, a memorandum of understanding with the project was signed between MDOT and the city. MDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program grant funding will cover most of the cost, but Starkville did contribute an almost $300,000 match.
The city ran into numerous obstacles dealing with environmental studies and right of way acquisitions during the project’s developmental phase, said Travis Wampler, MDOT’s District 1 local public agency coordinator.
“Maneuvering through the red tape … proved to be a very tedious and time-consuming process. Many cities would have given up; Starkville did not.”
“MDOT has been so patient with us. There were many times over the course of a decade where it probably would have been expedient for MDOT to drop this project, but they never did,” added Mayor Parker Wiseman. “This project is certainly a monument to perseverance. Each board (since former Mayor Dan Camp’s last term to the current administration) has done something critically important to keep it going, and that’s not easy to do in government. This project also highlights the power of community volunteerism.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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