The City of Raleigh broke ground today to formally begin construction of the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail, the first link of the planned Neuse River Greenway Trail that will extend to the Johnston County line. Mayor Charles Meeker presided over the ceremony.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the canoe launch at Falls Lake, the starting point for the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail. The trail will extend eight miles from Falls Lake Dam to the WRAL Soccer Center on Perry Creek Road. Citizens will be able to use the 10-foot-wide asphalt trail for biking, walking or studying nature, such as bird watching. The trail also will include seven greenway bridges, an elevated boardwalk, a railroad underpass shelter, landscaping, and park furniture.
Connecting points for the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail will include the Bedford, Falls River and Riverside residential communities. Plans also call for the trail to connect to future park sites on Falls of Neuse Road and Thornton Road and at the North Wake Landfill recreation site.
Construction of the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail is scheduled to be complete in the spring 2011. The $3.9 million trail is being paid for by federal funds and City parks and recreation bonds approved by Raleigh voters in 2003 and 2007. Narron Contracting Inc. is the construction contractor for the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail. The company is proposing to subcontract 27 percent of the work to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.
Neuse River Greenway Trail
With the Upper Neuse Greenway Trail as its first section, the Neuse River Greenway Trail will extend 28 miles from Falls Lake in north-central Wake County to southeast Wake County at the Johnston County line.
The remainder of the Neuse River Greenway Trail is under design. Plans call for it to connect to the Walnut Creek and Crabtree Creek greenway trails in Raleigh and to residential communities in the towns of Wake Forest and Knightdale.
The entire Neuse River Greenway Trail is estimated to cost $30 million. Approximately 50 percent of the funding has been secured, including voter-approved City of Raleigh parks and recreation bonds from the referendums held in 2003 and 2007. Additional funding from other sources is being sought to complete the project.
Capital Area Greenway System
The Upper Neuse Greenway Trail and subsequently the entire Neuse River Greenway Trail will become part of the City of Raleigh’s award-winning Capital Area Greenway system (CAG).
The Raleigh City Council approved the CAG Master Plan in 1976, making it one of the earliest community-wide greenway programs in the country. The CAG Master Plan permits urban development while protecting more than 270 miles of stream corridors. The CAG consists of about 3,500 acres and approximately 63 miles of paved and unpaved trails.
The City of Raleigh’s next greenway, the Little Rock trail, is scheduled to open Feb. 18. It will connect the City’s new Walnut Creek Wetland Center (located at 950 Peterson St.) and the Walnut Creek Greenway Trail to Chavis Park and Downtown Raleigh via Martin and Davie streets.
Benefits From Greenways
Greenways produce many economic and environmental benefits.
Economically, greenways and linear open space have the potential to:
Create jobs;
Enhance property values;
Expand local businesses;
Attract new or relocating businesses;
Increase local tax revenues;
Decrease local government expenditures; and
Promote a local community
Specifically, conservation of the Neuse River corridor as a greenway could reduce the need for local governments, other public agencies and the community to acquire costly flood and pollution control measures. The greenway also will reduce the potential for flood damage to private property.
As for environmental quality benefits derived from greenway trails, the sustainability of the Neuse River is dependent on connectivity. This connectivity supports processes and functions that may not otherwise occur. For example, the Neuse River Corridor provides numerous ecological functions to the region, incorporating diverse plant and animal habitats and serving as a conduit for wildlife migration. In a natural state, the river and associated wetlands function to collect and transport stormwater and, consequently, serve to control flooding. They also act as natural filters, trapping sediment and cleansing surface water and providing an opportunity for recharge of groundwater systems. Using greenways to protect these natural resources, especially in urban areas, is becoming critical as environmental quality issues continue to increase in importance.
Other major benefits of greenways is that they provide an alternative means of transportation for citizens --- such as walking and bicycling --- and promote healthy lifestyles and an array of educational opportunities, including nature programs.
For more information about the Capital Area Greenway system, contact the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department at 996-3285.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
Vic Lebsock
Senior Greenway Planner
Parks and Recreation Department
333 Fayetteville Street, Suite 300
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-996-4786
