Folks who enjoy biking — for fun, fitness or frugality — might be winners under the federal stimulus plan.

Biking and hiking trails are among the user-friendly "green’’ projects Indianapolis and some suburban communities hope to pay for with federal stimulus money.

The stimulus plan doesn’t include a focused line-item for green projects. However, a wide range of funding sources might be tapped for such projects, from community development block grants to transit money. Requests from metro-area communities for such projects could total more than $43 million.

The lieutenant governor’s office is compiling a list of stimulus requests with help from Ball State University. It’s unclear when officials will evaluate the list, but once the process is complete, the state will try to steer communities toward the appropriate funding, said Jay Kenworthy, spokesman for Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.

Indianapolis leaders learned Thursday that the city will receive $8 million in stimulus funds through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Kren Haley, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability, said staff was still reviewing the grant requirements and will develop a process to determine which projects are eligible for funding. The projects include greenways, rain barrels and other eco-friendly projects area taxpayers could touch with their own hands — and feet. Among them:

Three segments of the Downtown Cultural Trail — along Walnut and North streets, between Indiana Avenue and Alabama Street, $11 million; Virginia Avenue into the Fountain Square neighborhood, $9 million; and Capitol Avenue between Maryland and Washington streets, $1.2 million. So far, the east section of about a half-mile of the Cultural Trail is complete.

Two legs of bike-lane striping and lane adjustment on residential streets: Allisonville Road from roughly Binford Boulevard to 82nd Street, $649,000; and Lafayette Road, boundaries to be determined, about $1 million. Stretches of roadway of about 5 1/2 miles each on New York and Michigan streets, about 1.4 miles on Westlane Road and a mile on 52nd Street already have bike lane striping.

Rain barrels: The city hopes it can get $117,000 for rain barrels, which are used to capture gutter runoff, can help avoid flooded basements in neighborhoods with poor drainage and yield water that can be used for gardens, washing cars and similar chores. The barrels can save money and water, and help avoid environmental and structural problems.

Rain gardens: About $600,000 is being sought for the concept that involves planting native grasses and plants with deep root systems to hold moisture and prevent excess rainwater from collecting in storm or sanitary sewers, basements and streets. Neighborhoods likely would be targeted, and commercial lots or residential backyards might be involved.

Green roofs: The city wants about $875,000 for the project, announced last fall with the first such roof planned for a sewer facility behind the Riviera Club, 5640 N. Illinois St. Construction is expected to begin in November. The concept involves a thin layer of grasses and plants on top of a waterproof membrane over the roof. The idea is to reduce storm water runoff and cut down on a building’s energy costs with natural insulation.

Greenwood hopes to capture money for two bridges to connect the planned 1.6-mile Tracy Trail: one overpass over Smith Valley Road at Craig Park for about $1.2 million and another over U.S. 31 just to the southwest of the park for about $1.8 million.

As of last week, Greenwood had not heard whether the project would be funded, said Parks Director Evan Springer.

The city’s parks and recreation department has forwarded three projects to Skillman’s office: two related to trails and a third request for a nature center, said Director Don Seal.

It is seeking about $1.4 million for a causeway bridge over Carrigan Road at Morse Reservoir, about $500,000 for a half-mile stretch of the Stony Creek trail off Ind. 38 on the east side of Noblesville and a project estimated at $3 million for construction of the roughly 30-acre Hague Road Nature Haven west of the city off Ind. 38.

Seal said some of the trails projects could be funded out of about $20 million in additional transit enhancement’’ funds coming to Indiana under the stimulus plan.

Beech Grove’s hopes for funding two phases of its greenway path along Lick Creek were dashed, said Mayor Joe Wright., because stimulus funding is aimed at shovel-ready projects that are ready to begin and can create jobs quickly.

They want projects that can be awarded (to contractors) by July or August’’ in general, Wright said, and his city still is acquiring land for the greenway paths.