Almost $6 million in state and federal grants were awarded to Dane County to create a new bike trail in Madison and connect bike trails south of Madison to downtown.
The grants, issued Wednesday, allocate about $2.5 million to fund construction of a new 4-mile bike trail on Madison's south side. Plans for the proposed trail, Cannonball Path, include a bridge passage over the Beltline.
Cannonball Path would reach from Fish Hatchery Road to Verona Road, where it would join up with the Military Ridge Trail near Fitchburg. The trail would use the path of an old railroad track.
Construction has begun on one section of the path.
The grants also include $3 million in funds to link Madison's Capital City Trail with the Lower Yahara River Trail, which passes through McFarland. Construction on the project would begin in 2011.
Future plans call for the trail to run along the Yahara River to Stoughton.
Other proposed Dane County projects are a bike path connection from Madison to Sun Prairie and an expansion of West Old Sauk Road in Middleton to include space for bike lanes.
A total of $32.5 million was awarded to improve bicycle and pedestrian paths throughout the state, Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement.
""These projects demonstrate the commitment of Wisconsin communities to strengthening our local and state economies and improving our overall quality of life,"" Doyle said in the statement.
