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Federal grant would pay for $500 locked units to encourage alternate transportation By The Chronicle Area bicycle enthusiasts may soon have new incentive to pedal to work, school or play. Lewis County, along with Cen tralia College and the cities of Chehalis and Centralia, is consider ing applying for a federal grant that would pay for secure storage lockers for bicycles. Deirdre Sessler, a county trans portation planner, said the county is making the application through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act. The other entities have expressed interest in joining the application, which closes on March 9. She said the county already has good areas for biking, but bicyclists have few secure places in which they can leave their rides — partic ularly in rainy Pacific Northwest weather. “They'd just like to have a place to put their bikes where they’re at,” Sessler said. At this point, the college along with both cities expressed interest in acquiring the $500 modular lockers. The grant would cover 80 percent of the cost of each locker, which can hold two bicycles. Philip Meany, a member of the Washington Bicycle Advisory Com mittee and a librarian at Centralia College, said the college will apply for 15 lockers. That would likely be the largest number of any local ap plicant. “The idea is to encourage alter nate means of transportation,” Meany said. Two cities intertwined with a ma jor freeway are already considering how they might encourage foot and bicycle transportation by tunneling under Interstate 5. Chehalis is planning to submit a grant application to convert a box culvert running under the freeway just north of the southernmost Chehalis freeway interchange. What may eventually come to be known as the Channel — Chehalis tunnel — would allow bicyclists and hikers easier access from Recre ation Park on the east side of I-5 to Stan Hedwall Park on the west side. Barry Heid, public works director for the Ukr said the tunnel would probably be a seasonal thorough fare “It would flood during winter flooding,” he said. Centralia has also formulated a master plan which would link Hayes Lake on the east side of the freeway with Fort Borst Park on the west. City Manager Craig Nelson said the city has already purchased property around Hayes Lake as part of a plan to construct a trails system. He said city staff members will evaluate how many bike lockers the city could use, and where they should be placed. Parks would be one location. City Hall — especially during municipal court hours — would be another. “It’s amazing how many people with bad driving records ride up on bicycles,” Nelson said. Chehalis, meanwhile, is already working with the state Department of Transportation and Lewis County to see a park and ride lot built near the freeway off Main Street. “That might be one of the loca tions where bicycle lockers might be located,” Heid said.
Newspaper Details
Centralia Chronicle
Centralia, Washington, US
Wed, Mar 01, 1995
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Penny P.
USA 21 Aug 2026
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