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Work starts on next phase of Rails to Trails

Posted at 12:16 pm February 20, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Work has started on the next phase of Rails to Trails, a project to convert a former CSX railroad into a bicycle and pedestrian pathway in the center of Oak Ridge.

After about six months of discussions, the City of Oak Ridge has a right of entry, which allows geotechnical and surveying work to be done on the former railroad, said Jon Hetrick, director of the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. Geotechnical work allows holes to be bored in the ground for subsurface studies.

The survey and geotechnical work is being done by A. Morton Thomas and Associates of Kingsport. The Oak Ridge City Council awarded a $358,317 contract to that company in May. A. Morton Thomas is to provide environmental testing, master planning, design and engineering of the trail, and help with construction bidding.

After a Tuesday evening City Council work session, Hetrick said the geotechnical and survey work is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The city hopes to have the NEPA phase approved through the Tennessee Department of Transportation by August, Hetrick said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Slider, Sports, State Tagged With: A. Morton Thomas and Associates, bicycle and pedestrian pathway, City of Oak Ridge, CSX, CSX Railroad, geotechnical and surveying work, Jon Hetrick, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, Oak Ridge City Council, pedestrian and bicycle trail, Rails-to-Trails, Recreation and Parks Department, TDOT, TDOT grant, TDOT Transportation Alternatives Program, Tennessee Department of Transportation, TPO, trail

Updated: Council approves Rails to Trails engineering contract

Posted at 12:17 pm May 14, 2018
By John Huotari 1 Comment

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. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:15 a.m. May 15.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday unanimously approved an engineering contract for the Rails to Trails project, which would convert a former CSX railroad into a bicycle and pedestrian pathway.

The consulting contract, worth an estimated $358,317, was awarded to A. Morton Thomas and Associates of Kingsport.

The agreement, approved 7-0, is to provide environmental testing, master planning, design and engineering of the trail, and help with construction bidding, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick told City Manager Mark Watson in a May 4 memo.

There is still much work to be done, including buying the former railroad, and the project might not go out to bid until May 2020, or two years from now, according to a draft timeline presented at the City Council meeting on Monday. And that’s assuming all goes well.

“Design and engineering will provide construction cost estimates and a phasing schedule, along with a basis for negotiating the acquisition of the rail line from CSX Rail,” Hetrick said. “Because the current programmed funding will not cover the entire project cost, the master plan will be used to leverage additional funding for construction from various funding sources, including federal highway and private funds.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Recreation, Slider, Sports Tagged With: A. Morton Thomas and Associates, bicycle and pedestrian pathway, Chuck Hope, CSX Railroad, Ellen Smith, engineering contract, Jon Hetrick, Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks, Rails-to-Trails, Tennessee Department of Transportation, TPO, Transportation Alternatives Program, Warren Gooch

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