Shenandoah Valley Rail with Trail Assessment Survey
Shenandoah Valley Rail with Trail Assessment Survey
Welcome to the Shenandoah Valley Rail-with-Trail Assessment Phase 3 survey!
VDOT is requesting your feedback on Phases 2 and 3 of the Shenandoah Valley Rail-with-Trail Assessment using this brief survey. Your comments will help advise the study team on important considerations and planning assumptions for subsequent study phases. For more information on this project, including the Phase 1-3 reports, please visit the project website.
Study Purpose
To assess the most likely configuration and costs associated with rail asset/rail bridge restoration and construction of an adjacent trail on the 49-mile Norfolk Southern-owned rail corridor between the Town of Broadway in Rockingham County and the Town of Front Royal in Warren County.
Background
The Norfolk-Southern owned rail corridor that traverses the Shenandoah Valley between the Town of Broadway in Rockingham County and the Town of Front Royal in Warren County has been the subject of interest since the line between Strasburg and Broadway was discontinued in sections from 1989 to 2016. Additionally, the segment between Front Royal and Strasburg was taken out-of-service. The corridor was previously studied in 2021 by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and VDOT at the direction of the Virginia General Assembly, and a ‘Rail to Trail’ conversion was found to be feasible. The General Assembly subsequently budgeted funding for the project, stipulating:
“Up to $35.0 million shall be allocated to the Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail for the purposes of land acquisition, initial planning, and site development. Any land acquisition by the Commonwealth as part of this trail’s development shall not preclude the consideration of options to maintain rail transportation in the corridor.”
The Shenandoah Rail-with-Trail Assessment will consider possible future rail uses in the corridor and estimate the costs associated with constructing a ‘Rail-with-Trail’ configuration. This alternative will be compared to the ‘Rail-to-Trail’ alternative to guide funding decisions.
Contact
Brad Reed, AICP
District Planner / VDOT Staunton District Office
Translation assistance: For translation assistance, please call the VDOT Staunton District Office at 540-332-9201. More information on Translation services can be accessed here.