City officials filed court paperwork late Tuesday asking a judge to determine where former CSX railroad property lines are located as they begin building a greenway in Midtown.

"When we bought the CSX railroad line for the greenway, one thing we had to do was establish quiet title," City Manager Kip Padgett said Tuesday afternoon. "The railroad dates back to the 1800s, so in some places we couldn't determine where the property lines were."

The legal procedure allows the city to notify about 20 property owners that the lines can't be determined, and a Superior Court judge will establish the lines.

The Times could not obtain the documents Tuesday afternoon.

Public Works Department crews have started paving part of the walkway that will bring more green space to the area and connect pedestrians coming from Lake Lanier or Gainesville's downtown to future Midtown redevelopment.

The CSX railroad property required extensive environmental cleanup before the city could purchase the land, stalling the project for more than six years. Officials completed the purchase in December 2009, and construction should be completed within a year and a half.

The 12-foot-wide pathway will stretch from Mule Camp Springs to Industrial Boulevard and will include part of the old rail yard behind the city's new Public Safety facility. It will connect the Rock Creek Greenway on the opposite side of downtown to a future Central Hall trail.

City officials have grants to pay for landscaping and benches along the trail, including a $100,0000 grant from Georgia's Department of Natural Resources to pay for materials.