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Click here to download the latest High Bridge Progress newsletter.
For years the South Side rail line has been a strong part of the economy and provided transportation for residents of Burkeville, Farmville, Pamplin, Prospect, Rice and other communities in Cumberland, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties.
Many residents of the area still remember riding passenger trains with names like Pocahontas and Powhatan Arrow. The passenger trains stopped running the Burkeville to Pamplin City route in the 1970s and in 2005, Norfolk Southern stopped all service and abandoned the line.
However, the 33.5-mile stretch that roughly parallels U.S. Route 460 is undergoing a rebirth of sorts, and hopes to again become a strong part of the community soon. In its new life, the rail line will be known as High Bridge Trail State Park. The rail-trail would connect Pamplin to Burkeville and run through Prospect, Farmville and Rice, each of which has unique history and assets.
The property is in the process of undergoing a rail-to-trail conversion. The new rail-trail state park, to be operated by DCR, draws its name from the aptly named High Bridge; it is 2,400 feet long and towers 160 feet above the Appomattox River. The trail would be opened for a number of non-motorized activities – hiking, bicycling and horseback riding – with High Bridge being the focal point. Once decking and side rails are added, visitors would for the first time have access to the bridge, from which they would command a unique view of land where Union and Confederate soldiers skirmished on April 6 and 7, 1865.
Part of the communityThe new rail-trail project has been embraced by the local governments in the area. Not only will the new state park offer recreational opportunities for its neighbors and other nearby residents, it will also serve as a draw to bring tourists into the area.
According to an economic study conducted by Chmura Economic and Analytics from Richmond, the new state park could draw as many as 114,000 visitors annually who would spend nearly $1.5 million in the surrounding communities.
Where it stands
The
deed was transferred from Norfolk Southern to the Commonwealth of Virginia
in December 2006. During the transfer, DCR got a VDOT grant and
completed an engineering study, an environmental review and a property survey.
Funds were also used to develop a master plan for the trail. Also, gates and
signs have been placed to deter trespassing and unauthorized uses of
the property.
An advisory committee of local residents was formed to guide state planners in developing a master plan for the new rail-trail park. One of the first steps in developing the master plan was developing tools to keep neighbors and others informed on what’s going on with High Bridge Trail State Park. This site and a local newsletter, the High Bridge Progress are just two of those tools. The Progress has answers to many of the questions residents have about the new park and its progress. Click here to find a link to the newsletter edition of interest.
The committee met monthly from May through October 2006. Meetings held to gather public comment for consideration in the park's master plan also were held in August and October that year. After much work by the committee and thoughtful public suggestions, a master plan was adopted in October 2006. The Board on Conservation and Recreation and the legislature then approved the plan, which guides the park's development.
Now the most common question is, When will it open? In addition to previous grant funds, the legislature has allocated money for capital improvement. Together, these funds enable development of a section of the park relatively soon. Plans are written, research for designs is complete, and design and construction consultants are hired.
Park manager hired
Eric Hougland, who has worked with DCR for 13 years, will manage the new park. He worked at New River Trail State Park, also a linear rail-to-trail park, for 10 years. Since then, Hougland worked for three years at nearby Holliday Lake State Park. Here's contact information:
J. Eric Hougland, Park Manager
High Bridge Trail State Park
118 S. South Street #508
Farmville, VA 23901
(434) 315-1627
eric.hougland@dcr.virginia.gov
DCR Staff
