Maryland Approves $4.4 Million for Big Slackwater

On January 15, a Maryland's State Highway Administration news release announced that Governor Martin O'Malley has approved the use of $4.4 million from the federal Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) for Big Slackwater towpath resoration. The TEP funds represent a significant share of the cost of the project, to which the National Park Service is dedicating $12.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Big Slackwater area of the C&O Canal National Historical Park in Washington County, Md., has been closed to the public due to severe erosion of the canal towpath. Its restoration will restore the continuity of the historic route from Cumberland, Md., to Georgetown, D.C., an outcome long sought by park supporters on the local, state, and national level. Among these supporters is the C&O Canal Association, which has contributed $80,000 toward an engineering study and an environmental assessment of the project (see related article.

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