Rail to Trail Approved in Memphis, Shelby County

This is something that should have been done a long time ago, but better late than never.  Hopefully it will be extended also to go all the way to Cordova as far as the rail line goes eventually.  Many projects of this sort are destinations throughout the country.  I don't think ours will be a 'destination' trail, but at least we will be albe to ride a bike from basically Midtown all the way to Shelby Farms and possibly revitalize some of the neighborhoods along the way.  Construction is scheduled to start Feb 28, 2010 to be completed by Aug 15.
I can't wait to ride it.

(PERE MARQUETTE RAIL-TRAIL in Michigan)

From Shelby County Government Press Release:

The Shelby Farms Greenline Project Moves Forward



MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Shelby County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with construction of approximately seven miles of previous rail property to create an urban greenway that will connect Midtown Memphis to Shelby Farms Park.


Interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford praised Commissioners for their support of what has been deemed the “rails to trails” project. “This is an historic project for Shelby County. We are using vacant property, transforming it into a valuable green corridor benefiting residents for generations to come.”


Initiated under former Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton’s administration, the urban greenway project is the first of its kind in Shelby County and will begin at Tillman St. and Walnut Grove and extend to the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy building on Farm Road. The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy has partnered with Shelby County for the construction, management and maintenance of the trail systems. Funding for the $2.4M project comes from a combination of federal, local and private donor grant funds.


Charles Hill Construction will serve as the general contractor on the project constructing a ten foot wide asphalt paved trail along the abandoned CSX rail corridor approximately seven miles in length from the Lester Street Community Center near Tillman Road to Shelby Farms Park Operations Center. The resolution sets a construction start date of no later than February 28 with completion slated for August 15.