Middletown Bikeway Proposal Introduced to Public

The Jonah Center for Earth and Art invites the public, especially those who ride bicycles and are interested in making our city more “bicycle-friendly,” to attend two important meetings. Middletown has an excellent chance to receive $800,000 in U.S. Department of Transportation funds for infrastructure to make urban areas more bicycle-friendly.

On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Room 208 of City Hall, Middletown’s Director of Planning, Conservation and Development, Bill Warner, will present a bicycling “master plan” developed by city engineer Tom Nigosanti, followed by a proposal to construct one section of that plan: a bikeway connecting downtown Middletown, Wesleyan University, and the Wesleyan Hills residential community close to the borders of Middlefield and Durham.

Documents and maps prepared by Middletown’s Planning Department can be found here.

Public input on the details of the plan and support for the project in general is being sought. The Jonah Center for Earth and Art is a “project advocate” on the grant application and wants to engage all interested parties and partners to make the most of this opportunity and contribute to the trail’s design.

To meet the grant application deadline of December 21, this matter needs to come before the Common Council at the Dec. 5, 7 p.m. meeting in the Council Chambers.  On the agenda, we anticipate a resolution stating Common Council support and pledging appropriation of matching funds as needed at a later date.  A public demonstration of support by large attendance and some spoken testimony at the beginning of this meeting is needed. We hope Middletown will take advantage of this exciting opportunity to join sustainability-minded communities around the nation and become more bicycle-friendly. If you would like to submit an email of support, send it to Bill Warner, Director of Planning, Conservation, and Development or go to the Jonah Center website www.thejonahcenter.org and send us a message.  We will tell you Mr. Warner’s email address if you need it.