Rail Trail Authority Still Wants Eastward Expansion To Monterey

The Tennessee Rail Trail Authority still has future plans to expand the rail trail eastward toward Monterey.

Monterey decided last week not to formally reenter the authority, for the time being, citing an emphasis on westward expansion. Rail Trail Authority Chair Bryan Payne said it’s actually the city of Cookeville taking charge on the westward expansion.

“Because that’s all within the Cookeville city limits and so on,” Payne said. “As the authority right now, our priority is on that eastward expansion going from Algood trailhead to Paragon Road. And our goal still remains to complete the trail as it was originally envisioned from the Cookeville Depot to Monterey.”

Payne said that the expansion to Monterey is a more difficult process because of the terrain going up the mountain. In addition, where Cookeville’s expansion would already be on railroad right-of-way, the process in Monterey would require right-of-way acquisition.

“As you go up the mountain, because of the terrain the trail would have to leave the railroad right-of-way in places,” Payne said. “And that gets into, now you have to get private property rights and it becomes more complex.”

Payne said that even though Monterey left the authority some years ago, the two entities still have a strong partnership.

“We still have a very good working relationship with their folks over there,” Payne said. “They regularly attend our meetings and we are in regular contact with them. It is still a partnership working together to get that trail, the connectivity from Algood to Monterey.”