KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville city council will vote Tuesday evening on a trail use agreement for a 3.8 mile stretch in South Knoxville. Leaders want to convert the old railroad track into a hiking and biking trail.

But a group of South Knoxville homeowners is suing the federal government over the " Rails to Trails " project that will stretch from Chapman Highway to Ijams Nature Center. The project is a federal program that converts abandoned railways to recreational trails.

Legacy Parks and the city of Knoxville are collaborating on the South Knoxville trail. Mayor Indya Kincannon and other leaders are supportive of the trail.

But the attorney for a group of more than 20 plaintiffs, Michael Smith, said a centuries-old property rights law allows landowners adjacent to railways to recla

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