Racine–Sturtevant Trail: Difference between revisions
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The route of the trail generally follows the former right-of-way of the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad]]. The "Milwaukee Road", as it was commonly known, abandoned the Racine–Sturtevant line in 1982 during its lengthy bankruptcy proceedings. After the railroad announced they would stop service, the city of Racine began looking into acquiring the property, some of which extended into downtown Racine.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44075412/the_journal_times/ "Boat ramp work, downtown park get council OK"], [[Racine Journal Times]], August 18, 1982, page 5A.</ref> After the city declined to purchase the right-of-way, it was acquired by Railroad Properties Associates, a group co-founded by the [[Downtown Racine Development Corporation]] and [[Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce|RAMAC]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44075803/the_journal_times/ "Railroad right of way bought by local group"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 1, 1983, page 4A.</ref> The eastern half of the right-of-way was divided up and sold to various property owners. Much of the western half was sold to [[Wisconsin Electric Power Company|Wisconsin Electric]] for the construction of power lines, and Railroad Properties Associates was dissolved after donating leftover parcels to the city of Racine in 1987.<ref name="viaduct-limbo">Buttweiler, Joe. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44081691/the_journal_times/ "Lathrop viaduct still in limbo"], [[Racine Journal Times]], May 8, 1995, pages 1B and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44081710/the_journal_times/ 3B].</ref>
After a 1993 incident in which a 15-year-old boy was severely injured in a fall from [[Lathrop Avenue Viaduct (Racine, Wisconsin)|a viaduct]] over [[Lathrop Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)|Lathrop Avenue]] on the unmaintained line, there was a popular push to demolish the abandoned railway tracks. By 1995, the city of Racine had applied for state grants to convert the line into a bicycle trail.<ref name="viaduct-limbo"/> However, disputes over ownership of the property delayed the construction, as did disagreements over whether the viaduct should be demolished or renovated for the trail's construction. Demolition ultimately took place in 1998.<ref>Scolaro, Joseph A. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44074434/the_journal_times/ "Lathrop Avenue dip slated for repairs through Oct. 15"], [[Racine Journal Times]], August 28, 1998, page 1C.</ref> In February 2000, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Department_of_Transportation Wisconsin Department of Transportation] announced a $64,000 grant to fund the construction of the trail, alongside a larger grant funding the construction of the [[Root River Pathway (Racine, Wisconsin)|Root River Pathway]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44072776/the_journal_times/ "State grants will help build bike paths"], [[Racine Journal Times]], February 4, 2000, page 3B.</ref> Construction took place throughout 2000, with the first phase (between West Boulevard and [[Green Bay Road (Racine County, Wisconsin)|Green Bay Road]]) opening to the public by October of that year.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44073088/the_journal_times/ "Biking Weather"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 18, 2000, page 3C.</ref>
==Route==
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