By Toraine Norris
City of Bessemer
The city of Bessemer officially opened its new multi-use rails-to-trails on Friday, April 13.
Nearly 100 people walked with Mayor Kenneth Gulley and members of the Bessemer City Council to open the city’s first-ever rails-to-trails project.
“This is just another great amenity for the residents of Bessemer to enjoy,” Gulley said.
Bessemer’s newly opened trail sits on what once was an elevated railroad line known as the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad that ran parallel to Highway 150, or 14th Street South. The line was in operation from 1946 to 1988 when it was abandoned. CSX Railroad donated the property to the city.
A combination of federal and local funding paid for construction of the trail, which will be completed in phases. The first phase of the rails-to-trail is about half-a-mile long, stretching from Fairfax Avenue to Berkley Avenue. A second phase will start later this year and will include the construction of a bridge over Berkley Avenue. A third phase is being planned to link the trail to the Bessemer Recreation Center by way of a pedestrian bridge.
City officials envision the trail will eventually stretch from Historic Downtown Bessemer to Lakeshore Drive, where they hope to connect it to the trails in Red Mountain Park as part of the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trails System.
Gulley thanked Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper for helping make funding available for the project.
The mayor recalled meeting with state officials and questioning why the western communities of Jefferson County were not receiving funding other parts of the county were receiving.
“Mr. Cooper told me that no one had asked,” Gulley said. “I told him that was about to change.
“We’ve managed to secure grant funding in recent years to do projects like this and the paving of our streets. We’re going to continue to pursue funding to help better our city,” the mayor said.
