ACCOMACK COUNTY, VA - Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden shared her concerns in a post to Facebook on Thursday over the allocations of federal dollars to a rail trail project on Virginia’s Eastern Shore while her town awaits funding for an inlet study.
On Wednesday, the Eastern Shore Rail Trail project was awarded nearly $23.5 million towards ongoing efforts to complete a biking and walking trail spanning Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
"All of a sudden they get this big pot of money that's coming to them and I'm not trying to take away from their project, don't get me wrong,” Mayor Bowden said. “It's frustrating to know that we are dealing with loss of land and we're still sitting here and we're still begging and we're still pleading."
Ron Wolff is the project’s executive director. He said he understands how slow the federal government can be in dealing with local leaders.
"I served on the Accomack County Board of Supervisors for 20 years … we dealt with the same kind of issues,” Wolff said. "The money that we did receive is going to go a long way to enhance not only the safety and welfare of people on the Eastern Shore but the quality of life."
Wolff said if the Northampton Accomack County Planning Commission had not applied for this grant funding, specifically intended for rail-to-trail projects, it would have been awarded elsewhere and the Eastern Shore would have missed out entirely.
Both Wolff and Bowden told WBOC on Friday that Virginia Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-District 2) has been advocating for their respective projects.
Congresswoman Kiggans office issued the following statement to WBOC News on Friday.
“I am grateful that the U.S Department of Transportation has elected to provide over $23 million to the Eastern Shore of Virginia Rail Trail Foundation to construct 17 miles of the multi-purpose trail. Projects like this one are funded through grant applications from local organizations, in this case via the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program, and serve a great purpose within our community. Alternatively, projects like managing erosion in the Chincoteague Inlet often require funding from different streams through the annual appropriations process. My office is exploring several avenues that would advance funding for the Chincoteague Inlet project, most recently through the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). We have sent the Chincoteague Inlet Feasibility study to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for inclusion in the FY27 WRDA, and I look forward to receiving updates. If included in this year’s WRDA, Congress can inform the Army Corps of Engineers that the Chincoteague Inlet is of the highest priority to eventually receive funding from the appropriations process. The funding processes for these projects may be different, but both are important to the safety and resilience of our Eastern Shore. I remain fully committed to working with local stakeholders to move these projects forward that protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure."
A spokesperson for U.S. Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia also weighed in with a statement on Friday.
“The Eastern Shore Rail Trail project received funding through a Department of Transportation competitive grant program. Senator Kaine supports the Chincoteague Island Coastal Storm Risk Management feasibility study, and he submitted a congressionally directed spending request for the study in Fiscal Year 2026, but it was not funded by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Kaine plans to once again request federal funding in Fiscal Year 2027 and also plans to request language in the upcoming Water Resources Development Act reauthorization to initiate and expedite the completion of the study.”