The dream of building two long, park-like cycling and walking trails through Miami and its close-in suburbs got a big boost in the shape of multimillion-dollar state grants as Gov. Rick Scott signed the state budget and spared both projects from vetoes.

The Underline, a volunteer-run project that aims to transform the 10 miles of the threadbare M-Path beneath the Metrorail guideway from Dadeland to Brickell into a lush series of recreational spaces linked by a continuous trailway, will receive $2 million toward construction and lighting — money that Scott had vetoed last year. That brings the total raised so far for the project’s first phase, a stretch around the Brickell Metrorail station, to $7 million, said Underline originator Meg Daly.

The Ludlam Trail plan, which would convert an unused rail corridor running 6.2 miles from Dadeland nearly to Miami International Airport, will receive $3 million toward purchase of right-of-way from its owner, Florida East Coast Industries. That grant brings the total raised for the project to $11.7 million, said Tony Garcia, chairman of Friends of Ludlam Trail, a nonprofit group backing the plan.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article66960392.html#storylink=cpy