Chief Ladiga Trail: Anniston's 16-Year journey of perseverance, partnerships and planning
ANNISTON — In 2008, when the Surface Transportation Board approved the abandonment of a 1.4-mile Norfolk Southern rail corridor in Anniston, few could have predicted it would take nearly 16 years of research, advocacy and coordination to secure that short stretch of land for the completion of the Chief Ladiga Trail.
Toby Bennington, Anniston's director of Economic Development and City Planning, has been at the center of it from the beginning.
'There were times when it would have been easy to throw in the towel,' Bennington said. 'But those of us who were there from the start held our own and didn't give up.'
The trail, a 33-mile paved path stretching from Anniston to the Alabama-Georgia line where it connects with Georgia's Silver Comet Trail, has long been a cornerstone for regional recreation and economic development in Calhoun and Cleburne counties. But the final link — through the heart of Anniston — was tangled in legal ambiguity and bureaucratic red tape.
'In June of 2008, the city and (Metropolitan Planning Organization) received notice of the Norfolk Southern abandonment,' Bennington said. 'Former Mayor Gene Robinson and I reached out to Craig Orcutt with NS Real Estate. Craig, now retired, helped clarify what this meant and even provided original Valmaps of the railroad.'
Despite Robinson's interest in moving forward, support from the City Council at the time was lacking, and there was no documented communication between the city and Norfolk Southern before the abandonment occurred.
Nonetheless, Bennington and Jack Plunk of the MPO created a line item in the regional transportation program, hoping the city would one day acquire the corridor.
Progress was slow until the Stewart administration reignited the city's interest in the project. Bennington and then-City Manager Brian Johnson resumed talks with Norfolk Southern, only to find that the Alabama Water and Wastewater Systems Board had acquired part of the corridor by quitclaim deed.
Norfolk Southern argued they no longer owned the property — a claim that complicated the city's eligibility for federal funds. To unlock that funding, Anniston had to prove Norfolk Southern had once owned the right-of-way and build a property map from the ground up.
'It was new to everybody — the consultants, the MPO, ALDOT, even the FHWA,' Bennington said. 'We were creating a legal and historical record of rail ownership from scratch.'
Multiple administrations — Stewart, Draper and now current leadership — kept the project moving. Kent Davis came on as city manager, and researchers Bruce Downey and Jay Rhodes dove into historical records to document the right-of-way ownership.
That work paid off. The Federal Highway Administration and Alabama Department of Transportation ultimately approved the right-of-way map, allowing the city to purchase the property from Norfolk Southern and AWWSB.
Over 12 years, the MPO earmarked $525,000 for acquisition and design engineering. Sain Associates became the lead design consultant after JRWA's retirement, and environmental studies, permitting and neighborhood assessments followed. Former Anniston City Manager Steven Folks helped sustain the vision and leadership for the project.
During those years of persistence, the city expanded its bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure planning. With MPO support, Anniston developed a Bicycle-Pedestrian Integration Plan, a Multimodal Center Preservation Plan and several 'Share the Road' routes. In 2012, the city added the McClellan Spur using Recreational Trail Funds, connecting the trail to the Longleaf Preserve and the Talladega National Forest via the Pinhoti Trail.
'This was never just about a trail,' Bennington said. 'It was about building a system that connects people — to each other, to downtown, to the outdoors.'
In 2022, Anniston officially purchased the final 1.4-mile segment from Norfolk Southern. And on February 20, 2024, the city awarded a $7.26 million construction contract to B&B Developers to complete the trail.
The list of contributors is long: former mayors, city managers, MPO staff like Lori Sokol and Elizabeth Messick, state officials like Del Marsh and DeJarvis Leonard of ALDOT, researchers, engineers, JSU economists and many more.
'This has been a team effort from start to finish,' said Jackson Hodges, the city's director of Public Relations. 'Toby really was the glue. Without his institutional knowledge and drive, I don't think this would've happened.'
Now, with the final leg finished, Anniston is positioned to reap the trail's economic and recreational benefits. A JSU-led impact study predicts increased tourism, healthier lifestyles and stronger local economies along the route.
'For Anniston, this is more than a trail,' Bennington said. 'It's a legacy — and a promise fulfilled.'
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