NORTH CAROLINA RAIL-TRAILS NEWS PAGE

As Revised on 05/08/2009

Digital Copies of Rail-Trail Maps, Brochures & Videos
Bike Safety Month in NC (05-01-09) While not specifically Rail-Trail news, as users of roads as well as Rail-Trails safety is a concern for all of us. Two releases from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Division contain some timely reminders for both motorists and the cycling community. PDF Version MS-WORD Version
 
Public Input for Rail with Trail along SE High Speed Corridor (04-19-09). Planning to support the Southeast High Speed Corridor has added a trail concept to SEHSR from Petersburg to Neuse River at Raleigh. Four (4) local workshops open to the public are to be held in North Carolina during May and June.
 
Help Save the Recreational Trails Program! (04-14-09). American Trails has put out an Action Alert to inform the trails community that action is needed to ensure the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is included in the authorization of the next multi-year surface transportation bill. The RTP has benefited every type of trail, every state, and virtually every community across the country. In North Carolina, the Highland Rail-Trail in Gastonia and the Dunn-Erwin trail have been recipients of RTP grants in recent years. American Trails has formed a Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT). The Coalition is looking for champions in Congress to support the Recreational Trails Program and to ensure it is included, along with increased funding, in the next authorization bill.
 
Brevard Bike Path (04-04-09). The extension of the Brevard Bike Path into the Pisgah National Forest should be completed (or at least be well underway) this summer. Most of this extension will be upon the crown of the dismantled railbed of the defunct Carr Lumber Railroad. NCDOT stimulus enhancement funds are being used to fund a safe crossing of the wide and busy Asheville Highway. The path will connect with the Art Loeb Trail. The latter trail is a connector to and part of the Mountains to the Sea Trail (MST). This would make the Brevard Bike Trail a connector to the MST.
 
The Gallimore Road Multi-Use Path (04-04-09). There was NCRT input into the obtaining of $250,000 of NCDOT Safe Routes to School funds. Also, around $40,000 has been raised from private sources. The path will link up two schools, a Boys and Girls Club and a stadium used for the Brevard College�s fledgling football team�s games. This path is part of the proposed greenway network which would connect in part to the rail-trail components of the Transylvania and Henderson County network. The construction could be underway by summer.
 
Hendersonville to Brevard Rail-Trail (Updated 05-08-09). A group of citizens including some public officials has recently formed a "Friends" group to support the establishment of a 18.5 mile rail-trail between the two cities on a discontinued Norfolk-Southern RR rail corridor. On May 7th, the Hendersonville City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting a regional trail between Hendersonville and Brevard on the discontinued Norfolk-Southern RR corridor. The resolution specifically mentions the recreational, tourism and economic benefits of such trails as well as the need to preserve the corridor for possible future rail service. Michael Oliphant, the NCRT contact in Hendersonville and leader of the local citizen rail-trail effort, made a fine presentation on behalf of the resolution. Blue Ridge Now.com recently reports that recreational enthusiasts are continuing to pursue a rails-to-trails project in Henderson and Transylvania counties, but Norfolk Southern railroad seems unwilling to abandon the line. See earlier reports on abandonment A suit against Norfolk Southern attempting to stop a railbanking was recently dismissed by a federal court in Asheville. Individuals have agreed to tasks including to insure that NCDENR continues to be motivated to make this trail the first state owned and managed rail-trail, obtaining the positive formal resolutions from three governmental units in Henderson County and obtaining the public endorsement of the trail by the developer redeveloping the shuttered Ecusta paper mill near Brevard. This developer initially asked that the rails not be taken up pending its decision on what uses would be envisioned at the brownfield redevelopment. Subsequently, their plans have not included any industrial uses in the redevelopment. Connecting up with the Brevard Bike Path (as described above) would connect this trail to the Mountains to the Sea Trail This would add some additional cachet or distinction to this trail. Also state law, NCGS Sec 113-34.1 provides specifically that the NC Department of Administration may acquire lands to turn over to NCDENR for the purpose of developing and managing the MST. And it specifically provides that no new legislation is required as is required in the case of adding new state parks. This project reporter believes that the trails act permits the acquisition of land for the NCDENR for a state trail without requiring legislative approval as a new state park. A new state trail connecting to the MST would have an additional basis for such an argument. For more info on Brevard area projects contact: Michael Domonkos at 828-884-7648.
 
Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail (Harnett County) (04-04-09). NCRT suggested to Harnett to include the paving of the DET as a "Shovel Ready" project for stimulus funding. It was to have been the 2nd phase of the original Enhancements Grant of 2005 but was never funded. Earth Share of North Carolina and NCRT continue to negotiate with Harnett County's Administration, including their new manager Scott Sauer, to include ESNC in the County Employees Work Place Giving Program. For more information visit https://www.earthsharenc.org. Upcoming: The Fourth Annual Prayer Walk is Saturday May 2nd, from the Methodist Church in Erwin to Central Baptist Church in Dunn. Handouts include prayers and guided meditations for the 5 mile walk. Shuttles will return prayer walkers to Erwin. Being on a rail-trail can be heavenly.
 
Coastal Carolina Rail-Trail &/or Washington-Greenville Greenway (Pitt and Beaufort Counties) (04-04-09). The committee met January 27th, February 23rd and March 24th 2009 in the Washington Parks and Recreation Conference Room. Dilys Bowman joined the committee to help with their W-GG Brochure and did a Backway Bicycle Map for a bicycle connection between Greenville�s North Campus Crossing and Washington�s Water Front WITHOUT having to be on Hwy 264. Lamarco Harrison, Greenville Parks Planner, joined the committee, has begun concept development of a greenway trail from North Side River Park to Campus Crossing and the W-GG in Pitt County. Upcoming: Next meeting is Saturday April 18th a 1pm in the conference room and in conjunction with CYCLE NC Spring Ride Events April 16th-19th based in Washington, NC where the committee and NCRT will distribute brochures and maps.
 
Deep River Trail (Randolph County) (04-04-09). Franklinville - Randolph County Steering Committee met February 11th, March 11th and April 1, 2009. The bids for excavating and surfacing the parking lot and trail were received and Poe Construction got the job. The local highway division will be contracted to do the railbed ditching with a motor grader. NCRT has drafted a Conservation Trail Easement for the Town of Franklinville and WalkSoftly LLC to transfer the railbed to the town for a public trail. NCRT submitted a $5K Adopt A Trail grant request to State Trails for funding the trail study and legal requirements for getting the trail through Luckenback's industrial site. Notification will be in September 2009. NCRT submitted a Z. Smith Reynolds grant for 35K/year for two years. The grant is under review and notification will be made in June 2009. Upcoming: June 6th 2009 National Trails Day will be the official celebration for the opening of the first section of the Deep River Rail-Trail in Franklinville, NC.
 
Atlantic Coast Line Rail-Trail (Cumberland, Sampson, Pender & New Hanover Counties) (04-04-09). NCRT Chair, John Morck presented Ali Turpen Director of Parks and Rec. a Purple Spike award for the county�s and Roseboro announcement of planning a trail on the ACL in Roseboro. (picture of AL Capehart, David Alexander, Ali Turpen of Sampson County (holding purple railroad spike), John Morck at North Carolina Rail-Trails meeting, Roseboro, NC)
In Pender County an organizational meeting of trail stakeholders on February 27th in Burgaw formed the West Pender Rail-Trail Alliance, Susan Bullers Ph.D. chair. Ben Andrea, Pender County Planning, Secretary. Ben presented a very informative power point assessment of the entire corridor in Pender. On March 27th, 28th, & 29th national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy did a public informational sharing with adjacents and the public at Moore�s Creek Battleground in Currie. Folks were notified by the county of the plans for a rail trail. Big landowners favored, small landowners didn't. New Hanover County has planned for the trail to be in the corridor with Hwy 421, and have experience with such a design.
 
Work to Start Soon on Greensboro Greenway (3-11-09) Ground breaking for the initial 1.3 mile link of the long-planned 4.8 mile Downtown Greenway was held on March 7. For pictures of the event see the Springboard. The western leg of this Greenway will be along the old A&Y; (now NS) right of way. Until the RR stops operating (one "train" a week or so) on this section it could be called a "Rail with Greenway". To keep abreast of future efforts the Downtown Greenway site has frequent coverage of this and other trails and greenway projects in the Triad area. On April 30th Downtown Greenway released a Greenway Flyer on news of the groundbreaking
 
NC GIS Conference - Capitalizing on Spatial Data. Raleigh, NC (February 19th & 20th) The use of GIS information in natural resource management for Cherokee River Cane, County Map Atlas to promote unique qualities of rural life for business recruitment, Preparedness for Disaster and Disease Outbreaks, Audit utility franchises fees for city revenues, GIS models and mapping tool to communicate land suitability and opportunities for sustainable land use. A model for NC economic development which integrate government and private sector information to focus economic and community development decision-making. Sponsored by the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the North Carolina Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. NCRT continues to promote digitized mapping of all North Carolina's historic (unused-abandoned) rail corridor for use in planning state and regional transportation futures.
 
For EMail Inquiries on Projects or Initiatives
Please Contact:
AL Capehart
 

You can support the creation of rail-trails in North Carolina by joining NCRT

I Little Toot I Keep Corridors I Who & Where I About NCRT I Front page I