Planned improvements to a pedestrian and bicycle trail in Anne Arundel County will receive more than $200,000 in state grant money.

Work on a connector between the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail and Anne Arundel Community College is among 71 projects awarded $5.2 million in grants for transit, pedestrian and bicycle projects, state transportation officials announced Monday.

Other projects that were awarded grants include $26,754 for nature park trail improvement and maintenance at Ellen O. Moyer Back Creek Nature Park in Annapolis, $24,600 for trail inventory and assessment across the state and nearly $100,000 for bike racks on MARC trains.

“These grants will deliver great projects to create a truly integrated transportation network that connects Marylanders to life’s opportunities in every corner of our state,” Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn said in a statement.

Work on the B&A Trail, which extends from Boulters Way just outside Annapolis to Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie, is one of several recent projects.

In fiscal 2013, the county was awarded $30,000 in state money in fiscal 2013 to pay for trail signs for paths near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and in fiscal 2015, it received $44,000 from the state to design the Broadneck Peninsula connector linking the trail to Sandy Point State Park. This past summer, county officials inaugurated a new 1.7-mile stretch of the trail in Odenton that runs west from Conway Road to the Prince George’s County line.

West County Chamber chooses new CEO

The West County Chamber of Commerce has hired a new chief executive officer. Raj Kudchadkar, who currently serves as deputy director of Howard County’s Department of Planning and Zoning, took on the role of CEO last week.

He takes the reins of the organization, which advocates for the economic interests of more than 400 member businesses in west county, in the midst of significant change for the region. West County is home to the National Security Agency’s headquarters at Fort Meade, as well as Maryland Live Casino and the Odenton Town Center, all targets for major development in the coming years.

West County Chamber officials announced last month that they are exploring a merger with the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber, which serves the metropolitan area, primarily in Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s counties.

Kudchadkar replaces Claire Louder, who has led the chamber since 2007. Louder is moving to South Carolina, where she plans to work as a consultant for nonprofits.

West County Chamber board chairman Randy Fisher said Kudchadkar brings experience and “entrepreneurial spirit” to the position. Before working in planning and zoning, he served as executive director of the Howard County Office of Military Affairs and director of the Base Business Initiative, a program that helps local businesses connect to defense contracting opportunities.

— Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun Media Group