BATON ROUGE - Plans for a BikeShare program within Baton Rouge will roll forward following an approval by the Metro Council Wednesday.

According to a memo directed towards Metro Council members, the BikeShare program would "provide an affordable, healthy, and environmental addition to Baton Rouge's transportation options."

Phase 1 of the program would include 51 bike sharing stations serving the downtown area, LSU, and Southern University. MidCity and the Health District would be included in future additional phases

80 percent of funding would come from federal grants, while local money would be responsible for 20 percent of the costs. The transportation alternatives program will provide up to $593,904 to be used toward the project.