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back until additional funding could be secured. With
Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County all contributing additional funding, construction of the second phase was completed in late 1998, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony occurring on December 1, 1998. The completed trail cost $ 1.4 million, with federal transportation grants covering about $ 690,000 of the total cost.
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On June 29, 2015, the
Huckleberry Trail's Renva Knowles Bridge opened, crossing over Peppers Ferry Road near the New River Valley Mall, and the path was extended south to Cambria Street in Christiansburg, with a spur connecting the Huckleberry Trail to the Christiansburg Recreation Center via Cambria
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Immediately following the completion of the initial phase, bidding for the construction of the second phase began with an initial completion date estimated for late 1997. However, estimated costs for the completion of the second segment came in well over budget, resulting in the project being pushed
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and enhanced emergency vehicle access caused the project to run out of its initial funds and be placed on hold. After these delays and the securing of additional funding, construction began on the initial 3.2-mile (5.1 km) segment between the
Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library in Blacksburg and
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The
Huckleberry Trail consists of three segments. The original portion of the Huckleberry Trail runs between downtown Blacksburg and Christiansburg. Once the original section was completed, the trail was expanded and now consists of the original portion and two additional segments known as
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From the traffic circle west of Route 460, Huckleberry North heads northeast through the
Hethwood neighborhood, crosses Prices Fork Road, and then continues north to Glade Road. North of Glade Road, it enters Heritage Community Park, which is a former farm. Paths through the park connect the
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was realigned in connection with the
Southgate Connector project, which realigned the road between Virginia Tech and Route 460. The new alignment provided a more direct connection between Huckleberry Trail and the Virginia Tech campus.
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With passenger service ending in 1958 and the subsequent abandonment of the line in 1967, the former railroad right-of-way remained unused until the idea of its conversion to a pedestrian trail arose in the 1980s. In
February 1990,
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The original
Huckleberry Trail starts in downtown Blacksburg on Draper Road at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library. The trail heads south, crossing Southgate Drive, and continuing until it reaches the edge of the
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the intersection of
Hightop and Merrimac Roads in Merrimac on April 5, 1996. Although the trail was used by the public before this date, it officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 7, 1996.
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Near the village of
Merrimac, the Huckleberry Trail passes through the 29.2-acre (11.8 ha) Coal Mining Heritage Park, which features equipment and part of the foundations of an abandoned
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In July 1991, Friends of the Huckleberry, a non-profit organization was formed to work with local governments to fundraise, acquire land, and construct the trail. After a successful
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accessibility and prehistoric archaeological sites along the trail's path resulted in some adjustments to its route. Additionally, higher costs from the construction of a
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317:. It officially opened on September 9, 2000. Located within the park is the Coal Mining Loop Trail, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) path which opened on November 17, 2010.
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On June 1, 2000, the Huckleberry Trail's success was recognized by the federal government when it was named one of the nation's 2,000 Community Millennium Trails.
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On June 20, 2019, a section extending to Blacksburg's Heritage Community Park and Gateway Trail was completed. Gateway Trail connects to trail system in the
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301:. The park is located on the site of the former Merrimac Mine, which closed in the 1930s. In addition to the coal mine, the site formerly hosted a coal
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Before the terminus at the Christiansburg Recreation Center, at the intersection of Providence Boulevard, a one-mile segment heads south towards the
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Friends of the Huckleberry continues to work with local governments and private partners to raise funds to continue expanding the trail.
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From the traffic circle west of Route 460, the main Huckleberry Trail parallels Route 460 and runs southeast to the Slate Branch of
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Huckleberry North and Huckleberry South. Together, the three segments are almost 15 miles (24 km) in length.
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Huckleberry Trail bridge over the Norfolk Southern operated railway owned by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
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Sunderland, Kim (February 6, 1990). "Huckleberry Trail proposed as first county bike path".
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Calnam, Christopher; Gangloff, Mike (June 1, 2000). "Three trails to join national list".
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alongside the tracks during the railroad's frequent service interruptions and breakdowns.
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Originally scheduled to commence construction in early 1994, delays resulting from
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Freis, Robert (April 6, 1996). "Patience will pay off for users of Huckleberry".
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is a multipurpose trail that measures almost 15 miles (24 km) in length in
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Freis, Robert (December 7, 1996). "Huckleberry trail milestone marked today".
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operated railway owned by the Virginia Passenger Railway Authority, enters a
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Lindquist, Rick (October 22, 1993). "Huckleberry Trail takes next steps".
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approved what would be named the Huckleberry Trail as the county's first
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fundraising campaign for the trail's construction, in October 1993 the
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Freis, Robert (November 17, 1994). "Trail project runs out of funds".
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awarded the Huckleberry project $ 453,424 towards its construction.
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The trail takes its name from the former rail alignment used by the
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Freis, Robert (December 2, 1998). "Trail's end is just the start".
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Angleberger, Tom (August 28, 1998). "Trail's end now late fall".
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539:"Long-awaited Huckleberry extension in Blacksburg almost ready"
487:"Long-awaited Huckleberry Trail bridge opens in Christiansburg"
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In 2016-2017, the section of the Huckleberry Trail between the
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Freis, Robert (August 22, 1993). "Trail picking up steam".
565:"Christiansburg begins next stretch of Huckleberry Trail"
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641:"Merrimac Coal Mining Heritage Park Project, 1999-2000"
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Merrimac Coal Mining Heritage Park Project, 1999-2000
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Old mining equipment at the Coal Mining Heritage Park
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Parks & Recreation, Montgomery County, Virginia
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118:. The trail is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide with an
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209:George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
30:Huckleberry Trail, bridge over Slate Branch near
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279:George Washington Jefferson National Forest
277:Huckleberry Trail to Gateway Trail and the
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615:"Coal Mining Heritage Park and Loop Trail"
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516:Virginia Department of Transportation
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512:"Southgate Connector - Blacksburg"
192:Street and North Franklin Street.
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695:Friends of the Huckleberry, Inc.
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563:Gangloff, Mike (May 22, 2015).
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234:alongside the Huckleberry Trail
717:Huckleberry Trail at TrailLink
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848:Washington & Old Dominion
537:Gentry, Matt (May 23, 2019).
108:Montgomery County, Virginia
50:Montgomery County, Virginia
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788:Dahlgren Railroad Heritage
594:Friends of the Huckleberry
271:Christiansburg High School
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285:Coal Mining Heritage Park
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260:Norfolk Southern Railway
883:Rail trails in Virginia
375:. p. Virginia, A1.
66:Hiking, bicycling, etc.
42:15 mi (24 km)
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828:Overmountain Victory
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643:. Radford University
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311:Radford University
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32:Merrimac, Virginia
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439:The Roanoke Times
424:The Roanoke Times
406:The Roanoke Times
391:The Roanoke Times
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218:Route description
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768:Appalachian
647:October 21,
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599:October 21,
55:Designation
877:Categories
321:References
163:grassroots
112:Blacksburg
82:Year-round
71:Difficulty
838:Tuscarora
823:New River
299:coal mine
245:Route 460
232:Route 460
201:Route 460
122:surface.
853:Wild Oak
757:Virginia
668:KML file
574:June 29,
522:June 29,
496:June 29,
264:road cut
256:Merrimac
74:Moderate
47:Location
548:July 7,
156:bikeway
137:History
120:asphalt
303:tipple
178:tunnel
87:Sights
79:Season
39:Length
677:help
673:edit
649:2016
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
