Interesting history Patrick. However, the opening is a different - albeit nearby - trail.
The one you refer to is the Cannonball Trail. One small segment was to be built this year; the piece that crosses Seminole will wait a year or two. The Badger Trail splits off of the Southwest Trail in Allied Drive and slices down to where it crosses PD south of PD. I'm old enough to remember those days but did not live in Madison then. Al Matano > Just curious, anyone besides Michael & me old enough to appreciate the > irony of the bike path following the trail of the > at-one-time-controversial railroad track across Seminole? > > For years the track crossed Seminole at a close to 45-degree angle, which > forced bikers to either 1) go straight across them and risk catching a > wheel in the gap, or 2) going wide to get a 90-degree angle going across > the track and risk having cars try to kill you. (You can almost > approximate this experience today on the N. Sherman Ave. RR tracks if you > want.) > > Various solutions were tried, the "best" being paved shoulder bulges that > let us angle out. > > Finally in the 90's the rail owners gave it up, sealed over the whole > thing, and it was largely forgotten. Until now. Now, when bikers on the > path cross Seminole, they'll be at the same oblique angle the tracks were > at. Hope nobody tries it with a stiff neck... > > Ah well, it still beats road dueling with Fitchburgers. > > ------------ > Patrick Lenon > > > > From: [email protected] > Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:59:39 -0500 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17 > > > > On Sep 13, 2010, Patrick Lenon wrote:The trail may not be Officially open > then: > > http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_fbad01f0-be9c-11df-9716-001cc4c002e0.html > > The sections I've seen are paved but the shoulders aren't done, so there's > a sharp drop off. > > Of course, that hasn't stopped a few scofflaws from sampling parts of the > trail. Nothing I'd ever do personally, of course... *koff* *choke* *koff* > > > A *FEW* scofflaws!? Watching the Ironman bikes at Seminole and Whalen on > Sunday, there appeared to be a steady stream of garden-variety Phreds out > sampling the trail. > I very much doubt it will be ready by this Saturday, since as of > yesterday, the bridges need railings, the shoulders south of (I think) > Lacy needed to be graded, and the section south of M needed to be paved. > But I only know this because, I, um, flew over it in an airplane. Yes I > did. > I might go to the opening. I've been looking forward to it since rail > operations stopped back in the early 90's. > Michael > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
