From the Commercial Appeal

By Tom Charlier

They've been around for maybe 90 years -- in a swamp, no less -- groaning under the burden of locomotives that weighed up to 400,000 pounds.

So it came as no surprise that the wooden trestles carrying the former CSX railroad across the Wolf River bottomlands in East Memphis have deteriorated a bit.
Trees line an unfinished section of the 10-foot paved trail near Shelby Farms that will be part of the Shelby Farms Greenline project, which is scheduled to be finished in August.

Photo by Alan Spearman
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Trees line an unfinished section of the 10-foot paved trail near Shelby Farms that will be part of the Shelby Farms Greenline project, which is scheduled to be finished in August.

"There's a lot of rotten wood," says Craig Christenbury of Chris-Hill Construction. "A tremendous amount."

One of the first tasks in the construction of the Shelby Farms Greenline multi-use trail involves the refurbishment of six former railroad bridges that together extend nearly a half-mile across the river and through the bottoms.

Two months after the formal groundbreaking for the 61/2 -mile trail, workers from Chris-Hill, a contractor in the $2.44 million project, are tearing out the original oak decking, and some of the pilings, and replacing them with pine lumber.

Extending from Tillman, just east of Midtown, to Shelby Farms, the greenline is a rails-to-trails project linking several Memphis neighborhoods with the 4,500-acre park between East Memphis and Cordova.

The 10-foot-wide path will be asphalt except for sections along two bridges that will have wood decking. It's slated for completion by around August.

The construction follows Shelby County's purchase of the abandoned 100-foot-wide rail corridor last year for about $5 million. The money for the purchase and the trail construction came from fundraising efforts by the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, a private nonprofit group operating both the park and the greenline, and federal grants.

Future plans call for the extension of the greenline eastward all the way to Eads, in East Shelby County.

For several years prior to construction, the railroad right-of-way had been somewhat neglected -- a condition that Christenbury says has its advantages.

"It's overgrown," he said, noting that tall trees line the corridor. "Once it (the trail) is done, it'll be like driving through a tunnel. There's so much greenery growing over it."

Ritchie Smith, principal in the lead design firm for the project, said the creosote-treated trestles, while more than strong enough to support cyclists and pedestrians, are being refurbished so they don't have to be replaced 20 to 30 years from now. Also, workers need good lumber in which to mount the 41/2 -foot-tall railing that will be installed.

The age of the trestles is unknown, but the construction style and the fact that hardwood instead of pine was used leads Smith to believe they're about 90 years old.

Another bridge along the greenline, crossing a creek in the Binghamton area, has deteriorated to the point it will be replaced by a 200-foot-long prefabricated steel truss span.

The trail will be sealed off to motor vehicles through the installation of bollards, or heavy posts, near road crossings. Distance markers will be posted every half-mile.

Smith said the project is unique in many aspects, including the quality of work by Chris-Hill.

"They're putting a really high level of craft and detail on it," he said.

Christenbury said he's enthusiastic about the greenline.

"It's really going to be neat," he said.

-- Tom Charlier: 529-2572