City closes Pipeline Trail citing safety concerns
The Pipeline Trail, an unofficial trail located downtown, was closed to the public on Sept. 13. The city closed it for safety reasons following a sewage leak in July. Photo by Anthony Duong.
Molly Manning, Contributing Writer
The City of Richmond announced on Sept. 13 that the Pipeline Trail, located west of 14th Street behind the flood wall, will be closed indefinitely to the public due to safety concerns noticed during repairs to the sewage pipe, according to an announcement.
The trail is in fact a maintenance catwalk that the city Department of Public Utilities installed to access the actual pipe, according to Friends of the James River Park. The trail is located under a rail line owned by CSX which also owns the land beneath the pipeline, according to Axios.
The city has an easement, a legal provision that grants the right to use without ownership, from CSX for the catwalk and the land, according to Axios. It is technically considered trespassing for the public to use the trail regardless of whether or not that is enforced, complicating the issue of reopening the space to the public, as stated in the FOJRP article.
The trail closed briefly in July when a water advisory was issued, according to ABC8. Shortly after the advisory was lifted, the city approved a new plan to fix the combined sewer and stormwater overflow to improve and maintain water cleanliness, resulting in its closure, according to a previous report by The Commonwealth Times.
Gates were installed and “no trespassing” signs have been posted at the entrance and throughout the catwalk trail following the announcement on Sept. 13, according to NBC12. However, when visiting the Pipeline Trail entrance on Sept. 25, the gates were open.
The city and stakeholders are unsure of a solution or how long the closure will last but has said that city council members will continue to receive updates. The public will be able to access updates at the city’s public utilities webpage, according to the city.
The spot is a favorite for many Richmonders because of the scenery and beaches, and there is already a petition with over 2,000 signatures to “Give Us Back Our Pipeline Trail!,” according to RVAMag.
FOJRP released an article on Sept. 18 addressing frequently asked questions about the trail. James River Park Executive Director Josh Stutz wrote that there is “no way to effectively” close a trail in Richmond because people will find a way in regardless.
Stutz stated in the article his concern is that because the trail is closed to the public, the organization can no longer clean up the area — and because people will still use the trail and beaches — litter and pollution may potentially increase and spread from the river to the Chesapeake Bay.
Stutz stated in an email he thinks it’s great how motivated people are to save the Pipeline and that the petition is a good way to quantify that, but the city and railroad are both well aware that the community feels strongly about it.
“There just is not a simple solution to making the area safe enough that the land/easement holders are comfortable with public access,” Stutz stated.
S. Preston Duncan, author of the petition and writer in Richmond for the past 22 years, said the Pipeline has a certain uniqueness because of the proximity to both beautiful natural scenes and the urban industrial feel of the train trestle as well as the positivity of the space.
“We don’t have a lot of common spaces anymore and the pipeline is one of those few magic spaces where you can go down there and it’s not homogeneous, there’s not a specific demographic, it’s all kinds of people, and they’re all interacting with each other,” Duncan said.
Duncan said the Pipeline holds personal significance to him as a space where he’s shared many memories and honored friends that he’s lost.
“I understand that there are safety issues with the Pipeline right now, but indefinite closure doesn’t instill a lot of hope that they are prioritizing resolving those safety issues,” Duncan said.
Richmonder Grace Johnson frequents the Pipeline Trail and said she thinks it’s one of the best spots in the city.
Johnson said she comes to see the herons in the spring and that it’s a great place where people can come together to swim and “do the Richmond thing.”
“It’s awful, I feel like the railroad has too much power and that this is an important thing to have in the community,” Johnson said.
