Grottoes plan recommends 4.3 miles of new sidewalks, trails and 12 crossings at $15.6M

Gareth Barthamu, a transportation planner with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission, presented a proposed 20-year pedestrian, bicycle and trail plan to the Grottoes Town Council, outlining short-, long- and future-study projects to improve connectivity and safety.

The plan, built on the town’s comprehensive plan and community survey responses, proposes 4.3 miles of new sidewalks, 2.4 miles of new trails and 12 new pedestrian crossings. "Survey respondents identified sidewalk expansion as the top transportation priority for the town," Barthamu said, and the draft plan translates that public preference into a prioritized, cost-estimated and grant-ready project list.

Barthamu said the town currently maintains about 6 miles of sidewalks, 1.21 miles of trail path, nearly a mile of bicycle path in Grand Caverns Park and 0.83 miles of shared-use path on Dogwood Avenue. Field visits identified approximately 12 specific deficiencies — including one sinkhole, about six uneven surfaces, several cracked pavements and multiple sidewalks narrower than 5 feet — with Forest Avenue cited for recurring maintenance issues.

Short-term priorities include four sidewalk projects that were elevated in the ranking, and a visualization showed a potential sidewalk connection extending 14th Street between Holly and Forest. Barthamu also highlighted priority crossings on VDOT-maintained corridors (VA-256, 3rd Street and VA-340/Augusta Avenue) and displayed a rectangular rapid flashing beacon as an example of a crossing treatment to improve driver compliance.

The plan recommends seven trail projects, including formalizing an existing informal boat launch at Holly and 3rd Street and creating a continuous off-road trail linking Grand Caverns, the shared-use path on Dogwood and Painter Park. For bicycles, the presentation recommended exploring sharrows and shared-road signage on local routes and aligning a route designation with the town’s golf-cart ordinance to set consistent rules and safety provisions.

Barthamu outlined funding pathways, noting Grottoes received a VDOT Ready Set Go grant for design and cost estimating on an Augusta Avenue sidewalk segment. He listed state programs — including a 50/50 match program that delivers sidewalk projects within three to four years — and federal options managed by VDOT, such as Transportation Alternatives and Highway Safety Improvement grants, as potential funding sources for larger projects.

Estimated capital investment for the projects presented is about $15,600,000 over two decades, Barthamu said, with the plan intended to help the town sequence work block-by-block and pursue grants and in-house construction capacity. He closed by offering to answer council questions and leaving materials for staff review.

Next steps identified in the presentation included review by town staff, coordination with VDOT for projects on state routes, and application for competitive grants; Barthamu said the plan is structured so the town can apply for individual segments as funding becomes available.