Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two part series on the Rails to Trails project that will soon be constructed in Laurel.

Rails to Trails projects offer citizens opportunities beyond just transportation and the connectivity and accessibility of communities. Pedestrian trails promote physical fitness, recreation, and Laurel’s project will promote historical preservation, education and art.

The foremost feature of the project is a ghost train that will appear in a uniquely crafted manner on the reconstructed Teresa Street overpass, and will serve as a gateway to the community. Randy Meador, Neel-Schaffer engineer, said that 13,000 pieces of metal or acrylic will be utilized to create an image of the old Eastman Gardiner Lumber Company train in the chain link fence that will cover the overpass. Meador said that the pieces will shimmer in the wind and light, giving a sort of life to the train.

The Laurel Rogers Museum of Art will assist in coordinating the creation of the ghost train as a piece of public art by inviting area schools to participate in constructing the artwork.

“Public art does a lot to enhance the community visually for people who live there daily, and for those visiting,” said LRMA Curator of Education Mandy Buchanan. “It is a sign that people care about the community when they take the time to create something visually, and for the kids involved in the creation process, it will become a landmark that they will see growing up.”

“The ghost train is art, but it is also something that relates to our community,” Buchanan continued. “It will show the importance of the railroad and timber industry in the foundation of Laurel. It will be a great way to learn about the community while enjoying something beautiful.”

Along with promoting the history of Laurel through art, the Rails to Trails program promotes physical fitness.

“People are longing for a place to safely ride a bike, walk or skate,” said Mississippi Department of Transportation Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown. “It also fits in with Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi, and other programs designed to promote better physical condition.”

James Moore, president of Bike Walk Mississippi, said that trails promote health by allowing citizens the opportunity to build physical activity into their daily routines by replacing car rides with bike rides.

“Over half the trips that American’s take are less than a quarter mile, and that is walkable, and is less than a five minute bike ride,” Moore said. “When you consider that Mississippi is the most obese state in the nation, we need more physical activity built into what we already do.”

The new trail system will provide access from the Laurel Train Depot to Gardiner Park by utilizing abandoned railroad track beds that will be paved to provide a safe surface. The plan also calls for the construction of an information kiosk that will be constructed in the architectural style of the Laurel Train Depot. The information gateway and kiosk will feature benches, a map of the trail and possibly a water fountain. Along with the reconstruction of a second bridge over Teresa Street, the plan calls for the renovation of an existing trestle that crosses Gardiner Creek. The project will be funded in part by transportation enhancement funds awarded to Laurel by MDOT.

“The Rails to Trails is going to be a good thing for Laurel, and it is going to be a good thing for tourism,” said Ward Five Councilman Manuel Jones. “The people in that area are looking forward to the attraction.”

Brown said that Rails to Trails also promotes safety on highways by taking pedestrians off the roadways and onto sidewalks and trails.

“It keeps the bicycle riders and walkers off our highways, and that is a safety issue,” Brown said. “The tails provide an alternate route of transportation. It gives people a safer place, and make our highways work better.”

Meador estimates that it will take 12 to 18 months to complete the design, land acquisition and construction processes of phase one.