As a new fiscal year approaches, officials are gearing up to work on projects benefitting the city of Morehead. Work toward one long-awaited walking path is set to restart as the Morehead City Council unanimously approved a resolution to reapply for a grant benefiting the Triplett Valley Trail Project.
The effort, spearheaded by local organization Daniel Boone Rails to Trails, initially included a lengthy walking trail for the south portion of the city, safely connecting residential areas to various amenities. Rodney Fouch, Morehead’s City Planner, said they are now focusing on reapplying for the grant to construct a new walking bridge across Triplett Creek near the Recycling Center.
“They do have a significant amount of funds to commit to it and did receive a grant for $250,000 before COVID. And then by the time the bids came back in, the cost for the bridge itself was more than all the available funds that they had. So, we had to back up and punt and we’re going back at it again,” said Fouch.
Planning for a trail began nearly a decade ago, but even with the recreational trails grant, the organization fell about $50,000 short after pandemic-era inflation hit. Fouch added the presence of state roads US-60 running east to west and KY-32 running north to south causes difficulties in ensuring pedestrian safety, so every improvement there and in surrounding areas, like Triplett, matters.
“We really don’t have any control or ability to mandate sidewalks there, those aren’t our own roads, those are state roads. But as town grows, more people are going across both of those roads,” said Fouch.
Officials with the Daniel Boone Rails to Trails organization presented updates and requested additional funding from the city last summer. The request did not move forward, and the previously secured grant expired at the end of 2024. Now, city officials said the reapplication will hopefully push the project closer to completion after nearly a decade of work.