Bicyclists clamoring for more off-street trails will be gaining a new, short ride through the Frederick, Maryland, countryside.
In a statement, officials said $5.1 million in federal funding was approved to convert the 1.8-mile Frederick and Pennsylvania railroad line into a hiking and biking trail.
The 10-foot-wide asphalt trail will run from the City of Frederick over the Monocacy River to the Fountain Rock Nature Center in Walkersville. The trail was funded by a grant from the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board.
The trail will offer access to a park and ride lot operated by the Maryland Department of Transportation and also to local Maryland Transit Administration commuter buses.
While the Frederick and Pennsylvania Trail length is limited, it will also be a link to the National Capital Trail Network.
When completed, this 1,400-mile network will extend from the western reaches of the state in Cumberland, through Martinsburg, West Virginia, across the D.C. metropolitan area and southbound to Charles County.