Richmonders are dealing with news that one of the city’s worst-kept secrets is closed while work begins on a long-term plan for the area.
The city’s Department of Public Utilities gave an update on the Pipeline Trail in downtown late last week, saying work to fix a leak from the sewage pipe highlighted other safety concerns on the catwalk above it.
S. Preston Duncan, a Richmond-based writer, started a petition on Sunday with a simple title: “Give us back our Pipeline Trail!” The petition reached its 800-signature goal just before 5 p.m. on Monday.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at the pipeline, specifically writing. I've had private solo or small group memorials for friends down there,” Duncan said. “It's been a place of healing and inspiration for me for 20 years.”
The walkway’s location downtown is a draw for Duncan and others — you can see the skyscrapers, but the James River flood wall blocks the noise of the city. He described the view as something out of a nature documentary, replete with rapids, fish and herons. Although it was publicly accessible, Duncan said it felt like a secret.
“[It] seems to engender a sense of community, like the space is shared, rather than provided the way more obvious access points are,” Duncan said. “I've had far more conversations with strangers at the pipeline than anywhere else on the river.”
Duncan has not yet contacted any Richmond City Council members or officials about his concerns, but plans to use the petition to show that he’s not alone: “I do want there to be a sense of urgency, and I want the petition to express that sense of urgency.”
DPU did not respond to a request for comment about safety concerns by publication, but railroad spikes from the CSX line above the walkway were visible on a protective awning in August. The walkway is normally uncovered.
A city spokesperson told VPM News Monday: “The city of Richmond DPU is working on a long-term solution for the combined sewer pipe, and the catwalk (the trail).”
CSX owns the right-of-way for the railway — called Rivanna Subdivision — and Richmond has an easement on the property for pipeline maintenance.
