Lexington Big Sandy Rail Trail

[seicer]

Rail trail to dedicate its first finished mile

I have the history of the C&O Lexington Subdivision written down somewhere and will try to upload it soon. The 109-mile railroad was abandoned in 1985 as it was considered to be redundant, and extended east from Lexington (east of New Circle Road) to Ashland. The line is still active from Coalton, where it serves a mini steel-mill and now a landfill, to Ashland.

The Brighton East Rail Trail, currently at one-mile, is asphalted and open. It will be formally dedicated on April 22. Eight years in the making, it runs between Bryant Road and Pleasant Ridge Drive at a cost of $426,000 in federal funds. Funds are available to build another one-mile section from Pleasant Ridge Drive to Deer Haven Lane, and an additional four miles are planned. The name Brighton comes from an old railroad station.

Soon after the dedication, flowers and other plants will be installed at a cost of $40,000. It might be striped and later lighted since it is in a suburban area. Winchester, Mt. Sterling (which has a small section open IIRC), Morehead and Carter County are working on their segments.

Article information: "Rail trail to dedicate its first finished mile, By Jennifer Hewlett, HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER, Mon, Apr. 02, 2007"