BERLIN, Md. -- Nearly $1 million has been stripped from the town of Berlin. The money would have been crucial in the town's efforts to bridge the gap over US Route 113.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the US Department of Transportation sent a letter to Berlin officials stating that $950,000 in unobligated funds are no longer available.
The money was a part of the USDOT's Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Program. It was awarded to Berlin for the town's "Bridging the Highway that Divides Berlin: Reconnecting Neighborhoods Split by US-113" project.
For years, officials have been searching for ways to make it easier for people to cross the major highway.
Mayor Zack Tyndall said the project is already a few years behind, and this decision will likely set it back even further.
"We've had people that have lost their lives walking across the crosswalks in this highway right here behind me, it's not safe." said Mayor Zack Tyndall. "We've got to find a better way. We had a better way. Sadly it's been cut, but we're going to keep on fighting."
$250,000 in obligated funds is still available, but it won't be nearly enough to get the town through the necessary design and planning phase before it can seek money for construction.
In theory, any eventual improvements, such as better crosswalks and bicycle access, would make it easier for people to access crucial services such as grocery stores, hospitals, schools, parks, and downtown Berlin.
More importantly for Janice Leonard, whose nephew was killed on Route 113, it would have made crossing the four-lane highway safer.
"Well, the million dollars taken away, it'll come back, but people's lives won't," said Leonard. "But the bottom line, they need them grants, for Berlin, for our community."
Getting that money back, however, will be easier said than done.
"We will partner with anybody, so anybody who sees this and thinks they might have a solution for how we can overcome this together, and get Berlin back on track, this is a vital safety project that we see for the town," said Tyndall.
Nearly $1 million, gone in the blink of an eye.