One of the stated goals of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign is to work toward the establishment of an off-road multi-use corridor connecting Savannah and Tybee. About 6 miles of that old Tybee railway (on McQueen’s Island adjacent to the entrance to Fort Pulaski) is already developed as a trail as noted in today’s Savannah Morning News:
The trail has a long history of conveying tourists and locals to and from Tybee. It was the 1887 railbed for the Savannah and Tybee Railroad Company, whose customers paid 20 cents to get to the beach from Savannah. It eventually operated as the Central of Georgia’s “Marsh Hen” run, which last ran July 31, 1933.
The county is now working to fix the eroded sections of the trail in an environmentally responsible way that preserves the spartina grass — kudos to Chatham County, as we know this has been some time in coming. With this section about to be reestablished, we should now focus our attention on the city owned piece of the old Tybee railway right-of-way along President Street. The City of Savannah could get a jumpstart on making our city Thrive by developing their section into a multi-use path, and thus also take the next step toward making the Savannah to Tybee connection whole for nonmotorized users.
Also, if you want to help develop the eastern side of the trail (from the Fort Pulaski entrance to Lazaretto Creek), come out to Fort Pulaski for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27.