Two new sections of trails in Oklahoma City have received federal funding through a grant program.

The two trails that will be funded, the Lake Hefner to Lake Overholser Trail and the Katy Trail, are part of the Oklahoma City Trails Master Plan.

Coordinators said they hope the plan will become reality within 50 years, with every home in Oklahoma City to have a trail within (bicycle) riding distance. The city has applied for numerous grants to help fund future trails and has held community meetings to discuss the trails' design and realization.

Dick Coyle, chairman of the Oklahoma City Trails Plan Steering Committee, said the Transportation Equity Act-21st Century grants are very helpful and cities are beginning to realize the good opportunity they offer.

"More and more cities and municipalities are turning in their comprehensive trails plans, which they need to seek TEA-21 funding," Coyle said.

Earlier this month, the state Transportation Commission announced the 36 projects that would receive more than $19 million from the Transportation Equity Act - 21st Century grant program.

Local governments and organizations could apply for an 80 percent match through the grant program. The projects submitted for grant application were required to deal with transportation and not be for the upgrade or maintenance of roadways, said Greg Bilby, transportation department spokesman.

The federal funds were divided among states, and the Transportation Enhancement Advisory Committee recommended projects to the state Transportation Commission for awards, he said.

"We had a lot of applications. We had them from all across the state," Bilby said.

Bilby said the funded projects are very beneficial to the surrounding communities -- aesthetically and economically.

Some of the projects that were not funded include trails in Edmond and Guthrie and a visitor's information center in Chandler.

Coyle said the next step for the two Oklahoma City trails is finishing up preliminary engineering.

The Hefner/Overholser trail will connect the two lakes and will cost about $970,000. Federal funding will take care of $727,500 and the city of Oklahoma City will pay for $242,500, according to the 2000 Transportation Enhancement Proposal Summary.

The Katy Trail, which will run along an abandoned railroad corridor in east Oklahoma City, will connect downtown near Bricktown to the Deep Fork Creek. The Katy Trail will cost $1,700,000, with the city picking up $425,000 of the cost, according to the summary.

Coyle said after preliminary engineering is completed, public hearings with surrounding property owners will be held and construction could begin early next year -- if all goes well, he said.

Actual construction on the trails could take close to a year, he said.

The two trails applications that were not granted for Oklahoma City -- the Tinker/ Draper Lake trail and the Earlywine trail -- may be re-applied for next year, he said.

Other than grant funding, one of the only other ways to pay for trail construction is through increased sales tax or bond issues.

Hal McKnight, an avid trails user, said the grant awards are exciting for trails users. McKnight is also one of the founders of Citizens for City Trails, a trail user group that recently placed surveys along the Lake Hefner Trails to determine how many people use them and how they use them.

"It's exciting. Every dollar gets used well. It's just a dream coming true. It's just a step closer to creating a tapestry of trails."