Benton County is unsure how to manage an 18 mile railroad corridor it purchased late last year. The County is seeking public comment on the best use of land that extends from Monroe to just south of Corvallis.
The Benton County Board of Commissioners purchased the Bailey Branch Rail Corridor with the intention of a future developer utilizing the existing track. Now it's evaluating short and long term strategies until the abandoned railroad is used again. Public Information Officer Rick Osborn says proposals include selling spurs back to private homeowners, developing hiking trails, or reserving the Corridor for future use.
Osborn: "It's a matter of there being several options and really just because you go one way for one stretch of the railroad, doesn't mean it has to be the same for the whole thing."
Osborn says the County purchased the land for about 490 thousand dollars. It hopes to have a completed plan by September. Public comment on the corridor ends Friday, August 8th.
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