High Springs-Newberry Rail-to-Trail Update

I’ve heard back from the Alachua County Senior Transportation Planner regarding the Rails-to-Trails project connecting High Springs and Newberry. The good news is that the project is still on, it’s just been delayed:

It has indeed been a long road. Our original closing date was scheduled for December 2017. This was rescheduled to March 2018, then December 2018. Each of these extensions was agreed to in order to continue to work with CSX on an appropriate Soil Management and Capping Plan that will ensure the public can safely use the rail corridor for a trail once the County has acquired the property.

We have, most recently, entered into an agreement to extend closing to January 2019, but will likely have one more extension through June to ensure that we have all our ducks in a row. We are continuing to work with CSX and the Trust for Public Land on this project.

I wrote back and asked if the purchase would include the remains of the historic High Springs rail yards and was told that no, the purchase would only include the rail corridor proper, not the rail yards. This, as you might imagine, was a combination of both good news and bad news.

I checked the property appraiser’s website and confirmed that CSX does still own most of the rail yard land (blue). Oddly enough, according to the Alachua County Property Appraiser's website, the green land belongs to the State of Florida through the Internal Improvement Fund passed in 1855 “to oversee the management, sale, and development of public lands granted to the State through various Congressional acts. Among the internal improvements arranged through this agency were construction of canals, railroads, and land drainage and reclamation.” The address provided by the property appraiser for this property is the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Blue: CSX; Green: State of Florida

The land roughly encircled in red belongs to the State of Florida.

That’s exciting! It indicates that the green land has a strong possibility of remaining undeveloped. Perhaps, if the county is unable or unwilling to purchase the non-corridor land, perhaps the state would? I would love to see this area remain wild and undeveloped. It would be great if we could somehow turn the former rail yard property into a historical park, either belonging to the state or the city – and once the bike trail goes in (although goodness knows when that project will actually be finished), it would be a great place to picnic, relax, and enjoy nature right alongside the trail.

Unofficial Rail-To-Trail (for now)

So, allegedly, one of these days there is going to be a paved bike trail on the former CSX rail line between High Springs and Newberry one of these days. (I say allegedly as there may have been a hiccup; I'm waiting for the Alachua County government to get back to me.) Even without any hiccups, it could take years to start, much less finish, this project. I'm recovering from a fractured foot, which limits the amount of walking that I can do. My physical therapist recommended cycling to keep my leg muscles active, but as riding along roads scares the crap out of me, I decided to check out the former rail beds (which I blogged about here, here, and here) for the purposes of cycling. I've found a lovely route, just shy of six miles as a loop, and I've been riding it regularly for the past six months. It's a wonderful place to get your exercise, enjoy nature (lots of birds, butterflies, wildflowers, deer, etc), and not have to worry about dodging traffic.

My route ends at the remains of the old railroad bridge over the Santa Fe

Unfortunately, this is the only stretch of the former railroad that is rideable at the moment (at least to me). The track that heads north towards Prime Conduit is completely overgrown. There's definitely potential for the ballast (the gravel that supports the rails and the ties) to be worn down to a rideable level headed westward towards Newberry, as people are definitely driving on the former rail bed, but it's just not ready for the casual cyclist yet. The ballast is still too much in evidence if you head west from Poe Springs Road in the direction of Newberry. I made it about a quarter of a mile in that direction before deciding that while aesthetically it looked lovely, it just was not a pleasant ride.

Nope, not going to ride that.

So... what's up with this official bike route? Well, the last I'd heard was this bit of good news from August 2017:

Bicyclists may soon be able to pedal all around Alachua County with ease. County commissioners agreed Tuesday to spend $3.3 million to acquire land needed for a $12 million rail-to-trail project that will run from the edge of Newberry to downtown High Springs. The trail could eventually connect to other trails throughout Alachua County, creating ease for riders to tour the county.

“The (trail) network in and adjacent to Alachua County will make this an international tourist destination,” County Commissioner Robert Hutchinson said. The county will use its share of Wild Spaces and Public Places funds for the recreation project. The city of High Springs will contribute about $300,000 toward the purchase.

The 13-mile strip, which runs parallel to U.S. Highway 41, will cost at least another $8 to $9 million to pave, county spokesman Mark Sexton said. Sexton said the county will pursue grants to pay for much of the paving. Documents show the county is buying the land from the Trust for Public Land. Sexton said the project has been high on the county’s wish list for several years and that county officials have tried unsuccessfully to get state funding for the project. [complete article]

According to this article from December 2015, "the rail corridor runs next to US 27/41 from a spot near the Santa Fe River in High Springs south to just north of Newberry."

I'm not sure how much (hopefully all?) of "my" route is included in this, although I'd like to think that by "a spot near the Santa Fe River" they do actually plan to include "my" route. But then there's that hiccup I had mentioned.

Oh, goody. 

I've searched for updates. I couldn't find anything about a decision one way or the other in March 2018. I've reached out to the Alachua County government and am awaiting an answer. There is nothing about this on the City of High Springs website, but the City of Newberry's website, I learned that the November 15, 2018 City Commission meeting involved a discussion of including "Funding for the rails to trails project including High Springs to Newberry, Newberry to Trenton, and a trailhead project" (source), although I've no idea what the results of said discussion were.

I'll update you if I learn anything more.