FHWA Supports:
This case study is part of the Federal Highway Administration toolkit on innovative finance strategies to accelerate bicycle and pedestrian project delivery, a reference for local and state transportation agencies. The Tweetsie Trail project used local funding, individual donations, and in-kind donations to construct a 9.6-mile rails-to-trails project in East Tennessee.
The Tweetsie Trail is a 9.6-mile rails-to-trails project that traverses Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee. The trail sits on the right-of-way of the former East Tennessee and Western North Carolina (ET & WNC) rail line with trailheads at the intersection of Legion and Alabama Streets in Johnson City and the intersection of Blue Ridge Drive and Stateline Road in Elizabethton. The idea for the Tweetsie Trail line emerged when a rail line running through Johnson City, Tennessee ceased operation in 2003. Local bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts began to build public support for a rails-to-trails project. In 2006, the mayor of Johnson City began conversations with the railroad company and expressed interest in buying it.
Champions of the rails-to-trails idea within and outside of the city government played a critical role in making this project a priority. Trail advocates formed a group called “Friends of the Tweetsie Trail” that wrote letters advocating for the project to local officials and organized walks along the railroad. Within the city government, staff members elevated the project and encouraged elected officials to pursue it.
In 2009, local officials and advocates learned through the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s “Early Warning System” that the railroad company intended to take the rail line out of service. As the mayor was already in dialogue with the railroad, the city was able to act quickly. In 2011, after a bidding process, Johnson City railbanked the corridor. Railbanking, as defined by the National Trail System Act, is a voluntary agreement between a railroad company and trail agency that allows the agency to use the corridor as a trail until the railroad might need it again for rail service. Under this Federal act, the trail sponsor assumes responsibility for managing the right-of-way, legal liabilities, and taxes levied against the right-of-way. The mayor hired Charles Montaigne, the former general counsel for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, to represent the city in the bidding and railbanking process. Johnson City invested $600,000 to acquire the trail. As a part of the city’s bid for the trail, they requested that the company petition the Federal Surface Transportation Board and achieve a railbank certificate for the land.
Johnson City formed the Tweetsie Trail Task Force in 2013 to secure funding and lead the project. When the Task Force began planning the trail, an outside firm submitted an initial construction bid for more than $6 million. The city explored ways to bring down project costs. Three strategies emerged:
The city completed most of the construction in-house, which significantly reduced costs. In addition to the labor costs of city construction crews, the city dedicated approximately $175,000 towards the construction costs.
The Tweetsie Trail Task Force decided not to seek grants or other external funding sources. By funding the project solely with local funds, the Task Force was able to minimize the costs associated with external sources, such as lengthy permitting processes.
Local donations were key to making the project a reality. The Task Force led a fundraising effort and sold naming rights to benches and bridges and recognized smaller donations with engraved bricks. Individuals and local businesses donated $225,000 for the trail.
The Tweetsie Trail also received an extraordinary level of support from local businesses through in-kind donations. A local engineering firm donated its services to help with bridge design and construction companies donated labor to build bridges. Milligan College, located in Elizabethton, donated labor and materials to help build a rest stop along the trail. A member of the Task Force provided the equipment for paving the trail and the local quarry provided the stone at half-price. A signage company donated the trail signs.
The city used a variety of contracting methods for different parts of the project. The city completed most of the trail with in-house construction and in-kind donations from local businesses and organizations. Two of the bridges used a design-bid-build contract. For two other bridges, a local engineering firm donated their design services.
Because the City used local funding and constructed the trail, it did not require environmental clearance under the National Environmental Policy Act.
By September 2014, the Task Force opened the first 7 miles of trail. The remaining nearly three miles of the trail were in use by September 2015. Approximately 1,000 community members use the trail every day. Property values have increased in the surrounding area, and new businesses have opened in Johnson City and Elizabethton along the trail.
Tweetsie Trail Task Force converted to a nonprofit group after completing the trail. Johnson City, Elizabethton, and volunteers maintain the trail. Keep Carter County Beautiful coordinates trailside tree plantings; Carter County Proud plans trash pick-ups; and local Rotary clubs have added pavilions and other amenities.
Phil Pindzola
Public Works Director, Johnson City
423-434-6080
ppindzola@johnsoncitytn.org
601 E. Main Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association. 2020. “A Day on the Tweetsie Trail: What to See and Do.”
Johnson City. 2019. “Tweetsie Trail.”
Johnson City News and Neighbor. 2015. “Tweetsie Trail Q and A with Steve Darden.”
Kristen Martin. 2014. “Here Comes the Tweetsie Trail! Local Tenacity Built Tennessee’s Newest Rail-Trail.” Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Laura Stark. 2020. “Tennessee’s Tweetsie Trail.” Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
City of Johnson City, TN
Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association
