HIGHLAND – In the interest of transforming a portion of Route 97 into a “shared highway,” Town of Highland Town Board members approved a pre-application form for the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) TAP Award for consultant review at an Emergency Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 28.

On September 29, TAP, or Transportation Alternatives Program, was announced to be awarding over $165 million to a number of different communities throughout the state.

These funds, made available to the state through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and administered by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), are provided through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), and the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP).

A “shared highway” would mean the implementation of walking and hiking trails complete with required safety accommodations, which would run parallel to the road and neighboring Delaware River. It would also look to incorporate wildlife observance points, some of which can already be found along the highway.

Town Supervisor Jeff Haas noted that the pre-application for the award, if it receives eventual final approval from the DOT, would assist in financing the $6.1 million project.

“It’s quite an expansive project,” Haas said. The impacted area would stretch from the former Camp Kittatinny Canoes all the way to the Cul de Sac located in Barryville. 

“It’s all conceptual [at this point],” Haas confirmed.

This award would be an 80/20 financial split, requiring the town to front $1 million for the project. Haas noted this money may be extracted from the town’s savings or supplemented from other hopeful grants so as to not burden town taxpayers.

According to the Supervisor, if all goes well, the next step following submission of the application would be to develop a tentative plan, which he is hopeful to have completed by the end of the year.