ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608280085
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 67 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
TRAIL TREKKERS are about to find their cups running over. Two new trails are on the way, one under construction, the other on the drawing board, both with readily accessible connections to downtown Blacksburg.
Life is good for recreational trail users in the New River Valley. There are lots of nearby places to hike, bike, skate or jog.
Soon, good will get better - especially for Virginia Tech students.
Two new multipurpose trails are on the way, one under construction, the other on the drawing board, both with readily accessible connections to downtown Blacksburg.
By autumn, about three miles of the new Huckleberry Trail will be open. It's a rails-to-trails conversion project that, when completed, will connect the newly renovated Blacksburg town library with the New River Valley Mall.
Construction began about four months ago on the northern stretch of the Huckleberry Trail, which will cross the Tech campus near the airport, scoot through a tunnel beneath the U.S. 460 bypass, pass through rolling fields and terminate at the intersection of Merrimac and Hightop roads.
Planners estimate that work will begin late this year on the trail's southern section, which will begin where the northern stretch ends and run along an old railroad line through the backwoods to the mall. They expect the entire six-mile trail to be finished next year.
When completed, the Huckleberry Trail will consist of a paved surface with earthen shoulders. It will be open to all varieties of nonmotorized transportation, which means you'll be able to run, stroll, ride a bike or skate.
The idea of building the Huckleberry Trail arose about eight years ago when members of the community decided it would be a great addition to the local system of bikeways and paths. Originally, the trail's right of way was a spur railroad that hauled people and freight from the village of Cambria (now part of Christiansburg) to Blacksburg for about 60 years, until the tracks were abandoned and removed in the 1960s.
The name "Huckleberry" comes from local legend. The story goes that the old train was so slow and underpowered that passengers got off to pick berries.
Now it's long gone, along with the train station that stood about where the Blacksburg Police Department is.
History is still an important part of the Huckleberry Trail. Planners are designing a series of information signs along the pathway to emphasize the trail's past, including the site of an old coal mining community at Merrimac.
Amenities such as the signs and benches along the trail will depend on how much money remains after the project is completed. There are no plans for lights.
Funding for the Huckleberry Trail came from local businesses, individuals and two sizeable grants from the state. In all, it will cost about $1million. When it is completed, the trail will be maintained by a local group called Friends of the Huckleberry.
Even before it's finished, plans are on the board to extend the Huckleberry Trail through downtown Blacksburg.
The idea is to stitch a half-mile walkway connecting the Huckleberry's terminus at the library with the central business district and the Tech campus. The goal is to build this pathway in time for Blacksburg's bicentennial celebration in 1988.
It's designed to wind along sidewalks, alleys and several back yards from the library north toward College Avenue. This, too, will be a trail that emphasizes heritage, and planners admit it will be a tight fit in some places.
The primary difference between the Huckleberry and the downtown trail will be that bikes and skates won't be allowed along the extension, which is intended for more laid-back traffic.
Eventually, Blacksburg wants to extend the downtown trail to its Recreation Center on Patrick Henry Drive. But the progress of any part of the trail depends - as always - on money.
When all these trails are built, there will be no excuse for students (or anyone else, for that matter) to be lard magnets.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Cyclists wend their way along the Newby CNBRiver Trail on a sunny day. Graphic: Map by staff: The Huckleberry
Trail.