CSX agrees to allow city to build sidewalk

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm

Reporter - News Analyst

May 15, 2015 12:15 p.m.

The now signed agreement with CSX will allow the "sidewalk to nowhere" in front of Salty Pelican to extend to Centre Street.

On May 13, 2015, CSX finally signed an agreement allowing the city to proceed to build a sidewalk between the railroad tracks and buildings east of the tracks.  Despite the December 2014 settlement of a legal dispute over private property rights and a verbal okay from the railroad, the city had been unsuccessful until now in procuring a written agreement from CSX allowing them to connect the publicly christened "sidewalk to nowhere" in front of the Salty Pelican restaurant to Centre Street.

The absence of a public sidewalk has created safety issues for both pedestrians and trains, and even brought in federal authorities to investigate ADA concerns.

City Manager Joe Gerrity said, "I believe the work will start next week. I don't know the cost of the project but it is included in the 14-15 budget."

The full text of the final exchange between the city and CSX appears below.