EYE ON:
Alabama’s Rotary Trail
By Laura Stark
In the heart of “Magic City,” the Rotary
Club of Birmingham in Alabama is
helping to transform what was once an
ugly railroad cut into something daz-
zling. The long, muddy trough, running
along First Avenue through a channel
of crumbling, graffiti-covered walls 14
feet below street level, will become the
Rotary Trail. This paved portal will run
from Railroad Park four blocks east
to Sloss Furnaces, a National Historic
Landmark where iron was produced to
develop the city and support World War
II efforts.
“It will be a river
of green through
downtown,” says
Wendy Jackson, execu-
tive director of the
Freshwater Land Trust,
a Birmingham-based
organization focused
on protecting lands
that enhance the water
quality of local rivers
and streams. She sees
the rail-trail as part of
the continuing renais-
sance of downtown
Birmingham.
In 2013, the city’s
Rotary Club, one of the largest such
clubs in the world, was looking for a
lasting and impactful centennial proj-
ect. “They were celebrating their 100th
anniversary and sent out solicitations
for ideas,” says Jackson, whose organiza-
tion presented a few ideas to the club.
“They had four criteria. They wanted
something that would impact the health
of the community, grow the economy,
help the environment or revitalize
underserved areas. They picked our most
extensive project and said, ‘You came in
and hit every single thing we wanted to
do.’”
The club pledged $2.5 million for
the project, and the city of Birmingham
provided additional funding for its
construction. Although short in length,
the half-mile trail fits into a much
larger vision. It’s part of the growing
Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System
that connects important destinations
throughout the region, such as Railroad
Park and downtown Birmingham to Red
Mountain Park, which, at 1,500 acres,
is one of the largest urban parks in the
country (grander even than New York
City’s Central Park).
“When the master plan for the Red
Rock Trail System was unveiled, it was
standing-room only in an auditorium
that held 400 people,” Jackson says.
Although she estimates it could take 20
years or more to develop the full 750-
mile system, around 50 miles including
the Rotary Trail, are either completed or
in negotiation now.
“We built on the enthusiasm of the
community,” she says. “Every commu-
nity is working on their portion of the
plan. They know that if they follow the
plan, at the end of the day, they’ll all be
connected.”
Construction of the Rotary Trail has
begun and is expected to be finished in
early 2016. Stairs and ramps will provide
access to street level, and the trail will
be enhanced with benches, picnic areas,
landscaping, lighting and other ameni-
ties. At its entrance, a 46-foot-tall sign
reading “Rotary Trail in the Magic City”
will beckon passersby into a world where
big dreams do come true.
For more information on the
Rotary Trail, visit
janereedrossla.com/
rotary-trail
.
COURTESY BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
Trail under construction:
Rotary Trail
Location:
Birmingham, Alabama
Used railroad corridor:
Seaboard Air
Line Railroad
Length:
0.5 mile
Proposed surface:
Concrete
rails
to
trails
u
winter.16
4
tracks ’n’ ties
