Along the rusted iron tracks, little white flowers bloom in the gray shadow of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. Cars zoom past on the access road that runs alongside the railroad tracks.
Local activists want to clear out the underbrush, pull up the tracks and pave a six-mile path to the plant. The plan is part of a Rails to Trails project, one of hundreds around the country taking old train tracks and turning them into pedestrian pathways.
But political entanglements are the major obstacles.
Hamilton County Commissioner Fred Skillern, whose district covers the area, is against allowing the project to move forward, and project supporters say they can’t get political support for it.
“We still get a cold shoulder,” Soddy-Daisy Commissioner Jim Adams said. “We’ve studied the trail. … there are no problems that can’t be solved.”
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey said he’s willing to take a look at the project.
Mr. Skillern objects because the project crosses roads and driveways. He said if organizers ensure the safety of residents and show who will be responsible for keeping up the trail, he’ll give the project his blessing. But it’s not high on his priority list.
“We’re building walking trails at the county park as we speak,” Mr. Skillern said. “One more walking trail versus water to Sale Creek and Bakewell Mountain is not on top of my list.”
Laura Oakley, who recently lost to Mr. Skillern in the Republican primary for his commission seat, said Mr. Skillern’s concerns are addressed, a statement echoed by Mr. Adams; Bob Rock, a local advocate; and Lakesite Mayor Bob Mullin, whose town is next to the Sequoyah plant.
They say cleaning out the underbrush will make the trail more visible to law enforcement and claim many residents support the project.
Jennifer Kaleba, a spokeswoman with the national Rails to Trails Conservancy, said people using these trails play a role in keeping them safe. She said driveway crossings can be addressed with signs letting people know where the trail crosses.
It’s a worthy project, according to Pete Conroy, chairman of the committee responsible for the Chief Ladiga Trail running from Anniston, Ala., to just outside Atlanta along 95 miles of old railway. Like Soddy-Daisy’s project, the Ladiga Trail had its detractors, but Mr. Conroy said they now are some of the trail’s strongest supporters.
“This trail connects more than places,” he said. “It connects people, and nothing’s better to see than college students stopping to talk with local farmers or people from Atlanta with their $7,000 biccyles stopping to talk to someone on an exercise regime from Weaver (Ala.).”
The supporters of the Soddy-Daisy trail say the safety of the people jogging and walking along the busy access road is more of an issue than the safety of the trail will be.