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Railyard Redevelopment
Home | Success Stories | Funding Sources | Other Rail-Trail Related Issues
Brownfields
Brownfields are abandoned properties with real or perceived environmental contamination problems. Often recognized as dilapidated industrial buildings like factories and warehouses, brownfields include a much wider variety of properties like former mining sites, gas stations, and abandoned rail lines.
Abandoned Rail Lines in WV
For a large part of the 20th century, rail lines connected industry in West Virginia. The railroads were operated largely for the coal and timber industries, but glass, steel, and chemical manufacturers also relied on trains to transport materials to and from production sites. While some rail lines remain active in the state, hundreds of miles of track have been abandoned. Industries that once supported entire communities are now non-existent.
Funding for Brownfield/Rail-Trail Projects
The coupling of these two types of brownfields presents unique opportunities for community redevelopment. In addition to brownfields funding sources, rail-trail and/or greenway projects are eligible for federal and state dollars through Transportation Enhancement funding. Each year, the state of West Virginia receives federal monies as a part of federal legislation called SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users). In 2005, the WV Department of Transportation allocated over $2.5 million dollars to trail and greenway development as a part of the West Virginia Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
National Rail-Trail Resources
Linking brownfield redevelopment with rail-trail building efforts is not specific to West Virginia, it is important to all areas of the country dealing with the absence of former industry adjacent to abandoned rail corridors. The national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) recognizes the role that brownfields can play in community development:
Over the last several years, the conversion and restoration of abandoned industrial properties, termed brownfields has become an increasingly popular strategy for rebuilding a community. Not only does recycling abandoned rail corridors as rail-trails offer a model for brownfields reclamation, but rail-trails can and should be incorporated into a community redevelopment efforts as a means for linking these reclaimed sites with the rest of the community in a cost-effective and conscientious manner.
In an effort to educate trail managers and other community groups working on rail-trail development, the RTC compiled a report highlighting the best practices for dealing with possible environmental contamination near or on the proposed rail-trail site. Read the full report, Understanding Environmental Contaminants: Lessons Learned and Guidance to Keep Your Rail-Trail Project on Track (RTC, 2004) to learn more about communities that have dealt with brownfields issues in their rail-trail projects and to understand more about the scope of work required in remediation and redevelopment processes.
The National Park Service recently published A Guide for Seeking Transportation Enhancement Program Funds in Partnership with State and Local Government (2005), a comprehensive guide for seeking financial assistance for projects under the Transportation Enhancement Program.
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Redevelopment Success Stories 
Orrick Building in Wheeling, WV
A brownfield in Wheeling, West Virginia was recently developed into the
Global Operations Center for Orrick, a multi-national law firm.
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Env Jobs for WV Kick-Off
WVU Safty & Health Extension & the Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center team up with EPA to help train 80 northern WV students for placement entry-level environmental technician jobs.
Click here for more information
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