Bluff council approves Jones & DeMille engineering proposal for Old Bluff Highway after debate over bike path and funding

The Bluff Town Council voted 4-1 on May 20 to accept an engineering proposal from Jones & DeMille to redesign and resurface Old Bluff Highway, a project council members said can be used to pursue external funding while finer details of trail design and ADA compliance are worked out.

Council Chair opened the discussion by framing the vote as approval of the firm’s submitted proposal, not a directive to add features beyond the bid: “So, I move that we accept the proposal as submitted by Jones and Demel,” the Chair said before the motion carried. The motion was approved following a brief second and public discussion.

Supporters, including councilmember (speaker 2), said the proposal provides a conceptual plan that townspeople and funders can evaluate if money becomes available. “This is a conceptual plan so that if funding comes up, if we get a chance to get it funded, they know what it is that we’re looking for,” speaker 2 said, arguing the plan preserves options for future active-transportation elements.

Michael Haddigan, the engineer who advised council on project scope and funding readiness, told the council the design is at a stage where it can be presented to funding sources. “At this point, it’s at a stage where it can be submitted to funding sources just as it is right now,” Haddigan said, noting an earlier 2019 order-of-magnitude estimate put the project near $1,000,000.

Opponents and several council members pressed for closer alignment with the town’s active transportation plan and warned that adding trail or ADA elements could change fundability. One councilmember expressed concern that expanding the project to include a separate trail and buffers could make the work far more expensive and complicate federal funding eligibility.

Council members also discussed alternatives: applying to the Community Impact Board (CIB), seeking federal funding for a narrowed scope, or staging the trail as a later, separate project. The Chair and others emphasized the council was voting on the engineering proposal as submitted, not on a final design that would obligate the town to additional immediate expense.

The vote concluded with four ayes and one no. The council agreed to allow Jones & DeMille to proceed into the design phase under the approved proposal; staff and the active transportation committee will continue to discuss how and whether additional trail or ADA components should be incorporated before construction or grant applications.

Next steps: With the engineering proposal approved, staff said the design can be submitted to potential funders and the council will continue conversations about phasing, ADA compliance, and CIB vs. federal funding paths.