Ever get tired of waiting for government to act? David Brickley did.
That's why he took it upon himself to purchase the rights to a 16-mile railroad right-of-way through King George County and launch plans for the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail as a bicycling and hiking path near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The Rails to Trails newsletter reports on Brickley, who saw the railbed in 1999 when he worked as director of a state agency. Try as he might, however, he couldn't interest the county's board of commissioners to develop it as a bicycle and hiking trail.
Fearing the tract might be chopped up for piecemeal development, Brickley acquired the rights to the roadbed after he retired and formed the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail Association as the new owner.
Now some 70 volunteers belong to the association and clear brush and remove railroad ties on weekends to prepare the path for hikers and bicyclists.
These things do get political, however. The association wants the state to include the Dahlgren as a state-run trail in the updated Virginia Outdoor Plan, but some county residents oppose it.
The trail cuts through a gun club and a church's access to a cemetery is bisected by the bike trail. Of course, both groups were also inconvenienced by the railroad that passed through there from about 1942 until the 1990s.
Although the trail is not publically run, bicyclists and hikers can apply to the association for a trail use permit. Check out the Friends of Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail website for details.
Also, the website reports on opportunities to donate time or money to the restoration efforts.
Discovered via WashCycle blog.
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