Eastern Oregon University > Rail With Trail > Study Design

Study Design

The Feasibility Study will be conducted by OPRD and EOU students with community and faculty mentors and will include such issues as:

  • a description of the conditions along the entire 63 mile rail corridor even though the trail may be developed in sections as funding becomes available;
  • estimates of bicycling, walking, equestrians, and other uses by Union and Wallowa counties residents and by visitors to the two counties who will use the trail and its potential segments between communities;
  • working with WURA and property owners adjacent to the railroad corridor to preserve and enhance the corridor as an active railroad while enhancing the trail as a recreational and transportation alternative within and between communities along the trail;
  • development of amenities along the trail (i.e., parking at trailheads and access points for automobiles and trucks with trailers, restrooms, potable water, bike racks, camping and picnic sites, litter receptacles) at reasonable distances to provide trail users facilities needed to ensure their enjoyment of the experience and to minimize impact to the environment;
  • recommending a trail design and development standards that are easy to maintain and access by maintenance, security, and emergency vehicles;
  • considering  wayfinding signage (information kiosks, trail mileage signs, community identification signs, trail etiquette signs, etc.) and system plan with “you are here” maps that enables people to use the trail efficiently without fear of being lost;
  • identifying  connections to host community trail access points that provide maximum access to amenities, shops, services, and community facilities that will bring benefit to the community with the least impact on the communities’ residents and resources;
  • describing possible extensions to northeast Oregon and state-wide bicycle scenic trails and byways systems;
  • identifying possibilities for business enhancement and new business development predicated on the profiles of expected local and visitor trail users; and
  • identify possibilities for using existing or future trails to connect to communities or future trails that might be included in roadway improvement projects.

The Trail Concept Review Committee will provide technical support and review of this study.