Providing a way to walk safely from downtown Blowing Rock to Bass Lake has been a goal of the Blowing Rock Town Council for many years. Through the use of funds obtained from the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP), it may become a reality very soon! If the Town’s application is successful, the North Carolina FLAP program funds could provide as much as 80% of the total funding necessary to build a 5 foot wide sidewalk from Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock along the north side of Highway 221 to the entrance to Bass Lake, which is part of the National Park Service's Moses Cone Memorial Park. The existing bike lane will remain, and curb and gutter will be installed at the edge of the existing pavement.
The project is estimated to cost approximately $1.2 million and the FLAP program may provide $960K of that total, bringing federal taxes paid directly back into the Blowing Rock Community in a way that will provide a benefit for residents and visitors alike. This project was listed as part of the successful $9 million general obligation bond referendum approved by 74% of Blowing Rock voters on November 4, 2014. Leveraging this federal funding will help stretch Town of Blowing Rock bond authority even further, allowing more transportation improvement projects to be completed over the next seven to ten years.
