Saturday, Aug. 01, 2009

Judge again OKs Palmetto Trail plan

A district court judge again has upheld the right of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to convert a former railroad line through the town of Peak into a recreational trail.

Judge Henry Herlong ruled the federal Surface Transportation Board has the authority to use the 11-mile section of Norfolk Southern line from Alston in Fairfield County to Prosperity in Newberry County. The railroad hasn’t used the section for decades. The Conservation Foundation bought the right to use the corridor for the Palmetto Trail.

An adjacent landowner claimed the rail line was abandoned and said the land should be returned to families who originally lost land to the rail system.

The ruling clears the way for the last piece of a six-mile section of the Palmetto Trail from Alston through Peak to Pomaria. The section opened in June, but hikers and bikers had to use the paved highway for that short portion through downtown Peak.

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