The unofficial connection between two of Lincoln's most popular trails is posted with No Trespassing signs.
And often blocked by idling trains.
But that hasn't stopped years of hikers and bikers, who have beaten a path between the Rock Island and Jamaica North trails near Densmore Park, risking trespassing tickets by crossing the railroad tracks, risking even more by hauling their bikes over and under freight cars that could start rolling at any moment.
“Those trespass issues are a huge concern for the railroad,†said Sara Hartzell, a planner for the city's Parks and Recreation Department. “But I can see how people would look at that and say this is the safest way to get to the Jamaica.â€
The north-south Jamaica trail stretches nearly 8 miles from Fourth and J streets to Saltillo Road -- much of that paralleling Wilderness Park -- before becoming the Homestead Trail and taking users all the way into Kansas.
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But it's not easily accessible from other Lincoln trails south of Van Dorn Street. Getting there from Old Cheney requires riding on a busy street with a rough and narrow rail crossing. The next access is nearly three miles to the south, at 14th Street, and that requires biking on a shoulder-less highway.
Now there's a $1.1 million solution on the horizon. The Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with the Railroad Transportation Safety District and the Great Plains Trails Network to try to build a bridge over the train tracks, officially connecting the Rock Island with the Jamaica North.
“The city wants it, bike riders want it, everybody wants it,†said Elaine Hammer with the trails network. “It has certainly been a dream for a long time.â€
Here's where it would be, and how it would work: If you follow the Rock Island Trail south -- skirting the zoo and Antelope Park, then over the intersection of South 27th and Nebraska 2 -- you eventually get to Densmore Park. The trail curves to the southeast there, toward the Cooper YMCA.
But if you don’t take that curve, a dirt path would take you, illegally, down a hill and over two sets of tracks to the Jamaica Trail and Wilderness Park.
The city is looking at two options -- a bridge that would cross the tracks at a 90-degree angle and require ramps to get users down to the Jamaica; or a bridge that would span the tracks diagonally and connect with the so-called Train Wreck Bridge on the other side.
The RTSD’s board voted Monday to budget $200,000 next year for the project, and will contribute another $400,000 over the following two years.
Board members had been briefed on the bridge in the past, so they were familiar with the idea.
“I think they understand the need and the safety improvement there,†said Roger Figard, its executive director. “They seemed very supportive of trying to help parks get it done.â€
The trails network has two donors willing to give $100,000 apiece, and it's still seeking donations large and small. The parks department could come up with some money, Hartzell said, and it's also seeking grant funding.
The city owns the land on both sides of the tracks, but it will need BNSF Railway's permission to put a bridge over its trains. And the railroad is generally supportive of the project, said spokesman Andy Williams, though its engineers would need to review the plans before signing off formally.
The city hasn’t estimated how many people would use the bridge, though it’s counted about 300 daily walkers and bikers at the south end of the Rock Island, Hartzell said.
Construction could begin as early as the winter of 2020.