The information superhighway doesn’t cover all trails. Washington County, with help from the Appalachian Regional Commission, is working to change that on two of its multi-use paths.
The iconic Virginia Creeper Trail and the new Mendota Trail — both former railways — include unserved and/or underserved areas, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, which has awarded the county $100,000 for its quest to get them connected.
“Underserved,” in the broadband world, means that there is service, but it is inferior to 100 megabits download and 20 megabits download data speeds. Washington County is planning to get those speeds on both trails, according to an ARC document recommending the grant.
That money, with a $130,000 local match, will accomplish two objectives, according to an ARC document — “increase visitor safety” and “improve the local economy by supporting local businesses and attracting tourism.”
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, applauded the award in a news release from his office.
“I am pleased that ARC decided to help expand broadband in Washington County,” Griffith said in the news release. “The [c]ounty has made it a mission to expand coverage to the unserved and [underserved] areas of the Virginia Creeper and Mendota trails.”
The grant will help the county and an engineering firm it hired to develop detailed coverage studies on the trails and conduct research on how best to deploy broadband fiber. After that will come design, construction and deployment, which the ARC document says should be done by the end of 2024.
The Virginia Creeper Trail, which opened in 1989, covers 34 miles between Abingdon, in Washington County, and the unincorporated Whitetop Community, in Grayson County, according to vacreepertrail.org. The Mendota Trail, finished in September 2023, runs 12.5 miles one way from Bristol to Washington County community Mendota, according to mendotatrail.org.
