Construction of infrastructure for places to walk and bike in the United States can take a long time as the political world goes through different seasons and as competing priorities demand funding and attention.
The Rivanna Trails Foundation, for instance, was created in 1992 to stitch together various stretches of trails and roadways to create a pathway for hiking around Charlottesville’s border. Over time, and for various reasons, the alignments, or exact placement, in some locations have shifted. Novice ramblers often lose the trail in areas where its passage is unclear.
“There are some places where we don’t have formal permission due to the railroad, and a few pretty major detours that are temporary during construction but might be a year or so before finalizing,” says Michael Holroyd, president of the RTF. “That said, many of our leases are revocable with 30 days notice so we are always very busy working with land owners to maintain trail access.
This year, Albemarle County has embarked on the creation of something just as ambitious and visionary—a 25-mile-long off-road pathway between the Blue Ridge Tunnel and Charlottesville via Crozet.
“Ultimately, the shared-use path will improve safety and accessibility while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fostering economic activity in the region,” says Jessica Hersh-Ballering, a planner with Albemarle County.
A shared-use path is intended to carry people for both recreation and commuting purposes and is generally paved. One local real estate agent and avid cyclist said people will use it to get around if it’s built.
“The e-bike market has seen significant growth over the past few years, and if we were to have a protected trail between Charlottesville, Crozet, and Afton, I expect that people will absolutely use it consistently,” says Jim Duncan.
Federal support
In the summer of 2022, the United States Department of Transportation awarded $2 million to Albemarle County from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed in 2021 by former president Joe Biden, to study potential alignments for what would be known as the Three Notched Trail. That’s a nod to Colonial history, when settlers heading west followed a pathway with a similar name through Albemarle County to Jarmans Gap.
Albemarle County applied through the Rebuilding Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program, whose name has been changed back to the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program, noting that the project will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians by taking them off of roadways like U.S. 250.
In January, the county hired Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, whose previous work includes the Virginia Statewide Trails Plan, to conduct the feasibility study, for which public input efforts will begin later this year.
VHB, a civil engineering consulting and design firm, was hired in 1997 by the Virginia Department of Transportation to perform the feasibility study for Virginia Capital Trail, a 51.7-mile shared-use path that links Williamsburg and Richmond. Built in stages and crossing four counties, the trail generated $8.9 million in economic activity in fiscal year 2018, according to a 2019 study.
“With the opportunity to link with the Virginia Capital Trail to the east and planned trail improvements to the west, the Three Notched Trail has the potential to become part of a system of trails from the Shenandoah Valley to Hampton Roads,” reads promotional material for the upcoming kickoff of the study.
The alignment for the Three Notched Trail would travel through or near Yancey Mills, Crozet, Greenwood, and Ivy. And, eventually, may make it all the way to Waynesboro.
What’s in an alignment?
The extension of trails requires permission from landowners along the way. Many trails are on public land, opened only when local governments have staff to maintain them. Private landowners often give permission through a formal agreement known as an easement.
In the late 1990s, for example, the Rivanna Trails Foundation printed a map of the trail that included a portion crossing over land in the Locust Grove neighborhood. One property owner on Bland Circle objected and at first put up trespassing signs to stop people ambling through. After these were removed or defaced, Shirley Presley erected razor wire across her property. The city initially fined her for this action, but Presley filed a suit in federal court and eventually settled the case.
A shared-use path would require a formal easement in perpetuity in order for governments to justify spending money to install a permanent pathway.
A greenway is more rustic and is not paved, but may have portions that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
One such example is the Old Mills Trail on the Pantops side of the Rivanna River opposite Charlottesville. Albemarle County opened a three-mile trail in November 2012 and promotional materials at the time hinted at “great tourism value” due to a number of nearby historic sites, including the abandoned Port of Pireus and the remains of a canal lock.
There are plans to eventually connect Old Mills Trail to Fluvanna County’s Heritage Trail, and the relatively new Albemarle County Parks Foundation has developed a map with status updates on the extension of the greenway from Darden Towe Park to Milton.
The Old Mills Trail currently ends at I-64, but there are plans to extend it. The map states that easements are in place for stretches through Lego Farm and the Luck Stone quarry but they are not yet open. The map also claims other easements along the way are pending, such as one at Shadwell Farm.
The foundation website describes a project that would extend the existing Old Mills Trail one mile at a cost of $608,000. This project is not listed in the county’s capital budget for 2025, nor is it listed on a list of Albemarle County transportation priorities that was last updated in 2023. The foundation’s website claims this project may not happen if the design phase does not begin in the next fiscal year.
Tourism potential
The City of Waynesboro received $950,000 in federal funding in January 2023 for the Rockfish Gateway Trail, which would extend from the Blue Ridge Tunnel to Sunset Park. The city’s materials for the trail point out that the Blue Ridge Parkway meets the Shenandoah National Park nearby at the top of Afton Mountain.
“Waynesboro’s ideal location at the convergence of these two celebrated park systems, the world-renowned Appalachian Trail, two national forests, and an urban trout fishery, have made the city a hub for outdoor recreation,” reads promotional material written this January.
Waynesboro will use the initial funding to conduct preliminary engineering and begin to purchase right-of-way for the 3.5-mile trail. The full cost of construction may be as high as $15 million, according to a February story in the Crozet Gazette.
Waynesboro partnered with Nelson County on the Blue Ridge Tunnel, which opened as a tourist attraction in late 2020 after years of work to stabilize the 4,200-foot-long mountain passage first built in 1858.
The government entity charged with promoting tourism in Albemarle and Charlottesville features outdoor recreation prominently in its marketing materials.
“Within the City of Charlottesville, you can bike, hike, and jog along paved trails and nature trails, including the 20-plus-mile Rivanna Trail loop,” reads the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau website. “When you head into surrounding Albemarle County, you’ll find 80 miles of maintained trails from the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, up Highway 29, and down to Scottsville.”
Local planning officials are hoping the cumulative length of local trails will increase in the near future as shared-use paths are built for locals and tourists alike. Some people who move here stick around because of the many places to walk.
Jerry Carchedi is an avid long-distance hiker who moved to Charlottesville to work for Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and decided to buy a house in the city. He calls the Rivanna Trail a treasure for the community. He also appreciates ongoing efforts to build more.
“The public agencies and nonprofits that oversee these areas are constantly challenged to maintain trails, acquire land and easements, be aware of abutter developments, provide accessibility to trailheads, and look for connections between natural areas,” Carchedi says. “There’s always room for improvement, but overall, there’s a great variety of quality hiking options compared to other places I’ve lived in and visited.”
The Blue Ridge Tunnel opened as a tourist attraction in late 2020 after years of work to stabilize the 4,200-foot-long mountain passage first built in 1858. Photo by Zachary Wajsgras.
