• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Oak Ridge receives $1.2 million grant for Rails to Trails

Posted at 1:39 pm June 2, 2017
By John Huotari 6 Comments

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has received a $1.2 million grant that it can use for the proposed Rails to Trails project.

The executive board of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization approved the grant in October, said Ellen Zavisca, senior transportation planner.

It could be used for project planning and property acquisition for the Rails to Trails project, and possibly to start construction, said Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department director.

Hetrick said the grant was awarded by TPO, but it’s actually a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant. The city is entering into a contract with TDOT for the grant, and the Oak Ridge City Council could consider accepting the grant in July.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson briefly mentioned the $1.2 million grant during a budget presentation to City Council members on Tuesday of this week. The city would administer the $1.2 million grant but would have to follow certain TDOT requirements.

The Rails to Trails project would convert a few miles of former railway that runs through the center of Oak Ridge into a bicycle and pedestrian trail. The railway runs from Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge; past Jefferson Middle School and near the Hank’s Market shopping center in central Oak Ridge; and to the Y-12 National Security Complex.

It would need to be integrated into adjacent neighborhoods, and upgrades could be required at intersections with traffic signals, said Kathryn Baldwin, Oak Ridge Community Development director. There could be trailheads at Elza Gate Park and in Hendrix Creek, near the Woodland neighborhood. There is a question about how those who would use the trail would cross the busy intersection at South Illinois Avenue and Scarboro Road/Lafayette Drive, including those commuting to work at Y-12.

Advertisement

There are other neighborhoods that would be close to the converted railway, including Emory Heights and Briarcliff.

The total cost of the project isn’t known yet. Earlier this year, Baldwin said some private funds or additional grants could be required.

The former railway property is now owned by CSX. A sale price is not yet clear.

On Friday, Hetrick said the last two-year CSX appraisal has expired. That appraisal was for a little more than $1.5 million, Hetrick said. He said CSX would need to do a re-appraisal, and then the city will have to negotiate with CSX.

Tracks and ties would still have to be removed from the former railway, which sits on a gravel bed. Fine stone could be laid down on the railway bed initially, and it could be paved later, Baldwin said. Tracks have already been removed from a few locations: across Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge and across South Illinois Avenue in south-central Oak Ridge.

Baldwin said the trail could be used by a variety of people, including children walking or biking to Jefferson Middle School.

“That makes for healthier kids,” Baldwin said.

Others could also use the trail on weekends and nights, and some could use it to walk or bike to the grocery store or other businesses in central Oak Ridge, or to travel to the city’s waterfront along Melton Lake Drive.

The Rails to Trails project is part of a pedestrian and bicycle plan developed about seven years ago. (See this story and the draft plan here.)

Hetrick said the city received the grant sooner than expected.

“It’s moving forward,” he said. “We are continuing to move ahead.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

The former CSX railway is pictured at Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The former CSX railway is pictured at Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2017 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Slider, Sports Tagged With: City of Oak Ridge, Ellen Zavisca, Jefferson Middle School, Jon Hetrick, Kathryn Baldwin, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Departement, Rails-to-Trails, TDOT, Tennessee Department of Transportation, TPO

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Government News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10). The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said. "In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Rocky Top woman pleads guilty to murder, sentenced to life
  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today