County snags $1.2 million grant for Canal Bridge walkway

A key trails connector is a step closer to reality for Burke after the county received a $1.24 million grant.

The money comes from the Greater Hickory Metropolitan Planning Organization and Western Piedmont Council of Governments (GHMPO/WPCOG) and will be used to construct a pedestrian sidewalk across Canal Bridge on N.C. 126.

The bridge spans a narrow channel across Lake James and will help connect the co-located Fonta Flora State Park and Overmountain Victory Trails with future trailheads on the opposite side.

Construction is tentatively planned for fall or winter of this year and will have to be done in the offseason because of lake traffic.

Burke Trails Specialist Sarah Chabaane said the walkway is crucial for future trails development.

“Once the bridge sidewalk project is completed, this will allow for the development of many more miles of state trails in Burke County,” Chabaane said. “The bridge is one of the major factors of the Fonta Flora State Trail’s ability to loop Lake James. This sidewalk will open up the opportunity for Lake James State Park to continue building the Overmountain Victory Trail through state lands and through the Lake James Camping Resort and Marina, which then transitions to the recently transferred Paddy Creek lands from Duke.”

The grant requires a 20% local match, and the Overmountain Victory Trail friends group and the Friends of Fonta Flora State Trail each contributed $150,000.

The five-foot-wide walkway will span 480 feet on the eastern side of the existing bridge. The bridge will not be closed to automobile traffic during construction, although a lane-shift will be required.

Burke County first contracted for engineering on the project in 2021, and the N.C. Division of Transportation (DOT) approved the plan in November 2023.

Chabaane said it took a community effort to get the walkway off on the right foot.

“The effort to get to this point has been truly supported by the community,” Chabaane said. “The State Trail friends groups advocated for the sidewalk addition on the state level as a priority project and have been financially committed to providing safe pedestrian passage across the bridge. Multiple letters of support were included in the grant submission, and we are grateful for the efforts from all parties.”

Metropolitan planning organizations across the state are eligible to apply for federal cash through Locally Administered Project funding. In Burke, Alexander, Caldwell, and Catawba counties, the funds are specifically for multimodal transportation projects including sidewalks and greenways. Projects are scored against a rigorous, pre-construction checklist.

“Burke County has not had many projects that qualify for Locally Administered Project funding and the funding has been on pause since 2020,” Chabaane said. “Without this multimodal funding from Greater Hickory Metropolitan Planning Organization and Western Piedmont Council of Governments, this would have been a very challenging project to fund.”