Update on Craig Valley Scenic Trail

The current estimate of the Craig Valley Scenic Trail is now $35 million dollars, according to a Virginia Department of Transportation presentation located on the internet. The .pdf may be viewed at PowerPoint Presentation (virginia.gov).

The document indicates that a citizens group comprised of appointees from Botetourt and Craig Counties have been meeting monthly to discuss the trails. The Board of Supervisors so far have not had an update on these discussions.

Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton, who sits on the subcommittee for the county budget, said recently that no monies from the county have been allocated for the proposed trail. The project apparently is entirely under the purview of the state at the present time.

The VDOT presentation indicates that the Craig Valley Scenic Trail (or Craig Botetourt Scenic Trail) is one of five major projects the state is currently reviewing. The other trails are the Shenandoah Valley Rail Trail (estimated at $153 million), Peaks to Creeks Trail (estimated at $6 million), Tobacco Heritage Trail (estimated at $3.6 million), and Eastern Shore Rail Trail (estimated at $59 million).

The project now appears to be under the State Trails Office division of VDOT, as indicated by HB1400, Item 452 (I.1, 1.2).  This document indicates that the current monies for the Craig Valley Scenic Trail have been folded into the “State Trails Office within the Department of Transportation, consistent with the recommendations of the January 2022 report on the “Virginia Multi-Use Trails Initiative.” The entirety of the funding in these working papers is $41.5 million dollars. (The document may be viewed at Item 452 (VDOT) Highway Construction Programs. HB1400 – Introduced (virginia.gov) as of May 17, 2023. The Virginia Multi-Use Trails document may be viewed at Virginia Multi-Use Trails Initiative – January 2022.)

However, the state has not yet passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year and the funding  may change.

Additional updates on the status of the Craig Valley Scenic Trail are expected after VDOT completes its current analysis sometime this summer.

To take a survey on The Rails to Trails project:

CTB – Public Hearing Comment Sheet (arcgis.com)

–Editor, The Botetourt Bee