Cyclists and nature lovers will be happy to hear the municipality is moving forward with a rail trail project in Ridgetown that will eventually link Chatham-Kent to Essex.
At Monday night's council meeting, councillors voted 15-3 to approve the list of 2017 CASO Rail Trail projects. The 2017 projects have an estimated cost of $475,000. The projects will be funded through the CASO Rail Trail Reserve. Since 2012, Entegrus has contributed $100,800 annually towards the fund.
The project began in July, 2012 when a pathway was built on the former Canadian Southern Railway (CASO) line by Entegrus Transmission Inc. and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. The pathway is 10 ft wide and extends from Communication Rd. to Elgin County Line.
Phase one of the 2017 CASO Rail Trail project includes:
- Trail construction: Construction of a 3 m, 5.5 km long trail between Kent Bridge Rd. and Erie St. N in Ridgetown
- Installation of eight steel control gates between Kent Bridge Rd. and Erie St. N: Gates would be installed at the trail entrances on Kent Bridge, Shrewburg, Scane, and Erie roads to protect the trail. A kilometer marker would also be placed at each road crossing, corresponding to Hwy. 401 kilometer markings, for EMS responders.
- Barrier installations: Supply and installation of timber/stone barriers, fencing, and plant screening to address land owner concerns.
"I grew up in the Hamilton area and there is a long rail trail right around the escarpment that goes pretty much the entire length of the city. It's used heavily. Everybody loves using it... that's something we could have here in Chatham-Kent that could run from Essex to Elgin all the way through from east to west in our municipality," says Thompson.
Thompson thinks the rail trail is a win-win for the community.
"The opportunities to get bicyclists off busy roadways and at the same time, out into more of a scenic picturesque area, is something I'm very much in support of," says Thompson.
Councillor David VanDamme, on the other hand, isn't such a big fan of the concept.
According to VanDamme, his constituents "aren't really in love with the idea. It's not something [they] really want."
He says after reviewing the location and value of the project, he still "didn't see the merit of it."
"If we can allocate dollars to special projects... to let's say another real need-- a need that would really benefit the community of Ridgetown. We know we've talked a lot about the idea of community hub and that's something we've not got much traction on," says VanDamme.
The list of 2017 CASO Rail Trail projects are expected to be complete by next summer.