A ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday afternoon marked the beginning of Phase II of Hopkinsville’s rail-trail from Pardue Lane to the area of Foston Chapel Road near Eagle Way.
“Please continue to spread the word … Hopkinsville is on the ball,” City Councilman Wendell Lynch said to a large gathering of local officials and rail-trail enthusiasts who turned out for the ground-breaking at the Pardue Lane trailhead.
Phase II, costing $4.64 million, will add 1.7 miles to the rail-trail. Phase I, completed six years ago, runs from North Drive to Pardue Lane.
Mayor Carter Hendricks said he was pleased by the showing of support at the ground-breaking — especially with the afternoon temperature hovering around 90s degrees. He praised city council for approving the project and thanked Christian Fiscal Court for its financial support through WINS, a package of quality-of-life projects that included the rail-trail.
Construction of Phase II is expected to take 10 months. Most of that time will involve the pedestrian bridge that will extend over Country Club Lane and LaFayette Road.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
