By Natalie Zarowny
nzarowny@cbs4qc.com
A proposed bike trail in East Moline, Silvis, and Carbon Cliff, has been decades in the making.
And now, a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation is giving the $3.5 million project a big start.
It's 8.2 miles of trails for cyclists to enjoy.
"The more we seem to build them the more interest seems to grow in using them," said Doug DeLille of the Bi-State Regional Commission.
Regional and city officials have been fighting to connect multiple national, regional, and state bike trails, stretching from the Mississippi river in East Moline, to the border of Colona in Carbon Cliff.
"By completing this small connection here, you essentially connect a 65 miles trail to another 60 plus mile trail," said DeLille.
Finding the funding for the path hasn't been easy.
But recently they got a big boost with a $1.9 million grant through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
One Silvis bike shop owner said it will be a big local boom for cycling.
"The more routes you have to get to the basic places, you know that people can just go to the store and stuff like that, the more they'll use a bike, especially the way gas prices are getting," said Tim Phylpo, owner of Let's Ride Bicycle Shop in Silvis.
Others said the money could be better spent on more desperate needs in local transportation.
"I believe they could spend the $2 million elsewhere like put it toward back our bridge that we need," said Bryan Hendricks, owner of Avenue Tap in Silvis.
However, the Illinois Department of Transportation said this program distributes federal money only to certain types of projects, including the promotion of alternate forms of transit, like cycling, so the state can't use it to build a bridge or highway.
Local officials hope to raise the rest of the $3.5 million through other grants.
Construction could begin as early as 2014.
