The U.S. government has awarded a grant of $1,043,520 to help fund a 2 to 4 mile portion of Beaufort County’s Rail Trail project in a densely populated area between Laurel Bay Road and Ribaut Road.
The project is designed to convert a 13.6 mile easement owned by Beaufort County into a public bicycle and pedestrian trail. The easement runs along the former Yemassee to Port Royal Rail Road right-of-way. The grant requires a 20% match and the county is working with the city of Beaufort, the Town of Port Royal, and other groups to develop the trail and identify funding sources.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation will administer the grant, which came from the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program of the Federal Highway Administration. SCDOT will work with the county to incorporate the project into the Statewide Transportation Infrastructure Program, which is the state’s six-year transportation improvement, priority-planning list for all projects receiving federal funding.
Details about the Beaufort Rail Trail can be found at railtrailbeaufort.wordpress.com.