The Monterey Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday approved a "support letter" for a bicycle route that would wind through Monterey on its way from Arkansas, across Tennessee and into North Carolina. Monterey Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary requested the vote of support for U.S.
Bicycle Route 80. "This project is a national effort that's part of the American Association of State Highways and Transportation officials, and it's being led by TDOT," he said. "The whole idea is it's a bicycling route that would be designated and mapped out from North Carolina through the state of Tennessee, and the route that they've got runs through Monterey.
" According to Cleary, that route "would come in on Highway 62" and run through the town to Woodcliff Road before descending down to the Brotherton community. "This poses no cost to the town of Monterey, no requirements in any form or fashion ever," he said. "All it would do is just support the designation of this route.
" Cleary said other communities along the proposed route are also being asked for support. The board approved the letter without opposition. Cleary also updated the board on the progress being made on a Transportation Planning Grant the town received from TDOT, noting that consulting engineers had made a site visit and held stakeholder meetings in recent days.
"The truck traffic that we experience on Commercial (Avenue) quite a bit that folks complain about quite often, that was the first thing that stuck out for those fol.
