Virginia leaders to vote on plan to transform old railroad tracks in Shenandoah Valley

Virginia leaders push to delay Shenandoah rail revival vote

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SHENENDOAH VALLEY, Va. - A key vote is coming up on Tuesday that could transform old railroad tracks in the Shenandoah Valley, but which direction it will go in is still up in the air.

Mayors from nine neighboring towns want the decision delayed until public hearings take place.

What they're saying:

"We are asking for transparency, we are asking for public input, and for them to follow what was promised," said Brandy Hawkins Boies, mayor of Strasburg.

Initially, the plan was to create nearly 50 miles of fully connected recreational walking, biking, and hiking trails from Broadway in Rockingham County to Front Royal in Warren County, costing roughly $165 million.

Now, there's a "rails-with-trails" proposal at play, which would reignite the rail corridor and have recreational trails alongside it, with a possible price tag of $700 million.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board is supporting a new proposal from the Transportation Secretary's office to transfer the Shenandoah rail project to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.

"We want answers to how we're going to pay for that and how it's going to be feasible because it doesn't seem feasible for our region," Hawkins Boies said.

Dig deeper:

Hawkins Boies said the rails-with-trails plan would not be beneficial for their community or their town, while the original trails-only proposal benefits would be immeasurable from a tourism and quality-of-life aspect for residents.

Rodney Shepherd is the vice mayor of Mount Jackson, who also supports a trails-only plan.

"Time and time again, bike trails, rail trails in other parts of the country have proven to be tremendous assets to their communities. For tourism, for health and recreation, just brightens the community up," Shepherd said.

Supporters of the rail-with-trails project say this would create the regional trail the valley needs, while keeping the rail intact for future passenger or freight usage.

Keven Walker is CEO of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is pushing to preserve the rail infrastructure alongside trail development.

"We think that it's been proven from one side of the country to the other, with more than 400 examples of rail with trail, that this really is the future of rail trails," Walker said. 

"From our perspective, this is a trail design question. The question of whether the trail will be on top of where the tracks are now or 15 feet to the right or left," Walker went on to say. "But for many of us ‘trails-only’ friends who are advocating for no railroad, it's become a very serious issue for them."

What's next:

The Commonwealth Transportation Board is meeting Tuesday to vote.

Mayors also want the vote tabled until Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger takes office and a new Transportation Board is in place.