Rails to Trails

[SVL]

1 hour ago, bikeoid said:

You're right - it was a typo that should have been end of 2023.

Thanks!  I'm glad to hear the end of the year is still the target!  I'm loving every one of these new trail connections.  

[vicupstate]

Powerpoint from last Monday's city council meeting

 

Trails and Mobility Projects Review

[Horatio Nelson]

Didn't realize that the Verdae connector would so extensive .

[SVL]

https://greenvillejournal.com/outdoors-recreation/swamp-rabbit-trail-connector-in-verdae-could-open-in-january/

 

[bikeoid]

From Greenville city - https://fb.watch/pKQs2o1U68/

Quote

New Path New Adventures. A neighborhood connection to the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail is now part of the City of Greenville's trail system. In a public-private partnership, Verdae Development built 0.3 miles of new trail called the Legacy Connector, to guide walkers, runners and cyclists to the gorgeous Legacy Park. Tonight, City Council voted to assume ownership and take over maintenance of the new trail.

Not sure if it's open yet, or if the engineer has completed the final inspection.  Official ribbon cutting is in early February.

Edited January 23 by bikeoid

[gman430]

What happened to the expansion to ICAR from Verdae Blvd? 

Edited January 23 by gman430

[bikeoid]

The ICAR connection status is a mystery.  The Verdae Blvd bridge construction will be a complication - they may need to reroute part of the trail during construction.   I have seen some survey markers wandering through the trees in that area but have no idea what they're for.   Seemingly they could open a surface crossing in the meantime using the traffic light if they wanted to.

  It is a bit concerning that there's been no public discussion at all - hopefully it won't become a 'Gateway' project.

 

[gman430]

2 hours ago, bikeoid said:

The ICAR connection status is a mystery.  The Verdae Blvd bridge construction will be a complication - they may need to reroute part of the trail during construction.   I have seen some survey markers wandering through the trees in that area but have no idea what they're for.   Seemingly they could open a surface crossing in the meantime using the traffic light if they wanted to.

  It is a bit concerning that there's been no public discussion at all - hopefully it won't become a 'Gateway' project.

 

Figures. If this was Charlotte or Atlanta it would have gotten built five years ago. Why is it so hard for the city to send out a bid package, pick the lowest bidder, get a contract signed and build it? I just don’t get it. 

[GMoxley]

10 hours ago, bikeoid said:

The ICAR connection status is a mystery.  The Verdae Blvd bridge construction will be a complication - they may need to reroute part of the trail during construction.   I have seen some survey markers wandering through the trees in that area but have no idea what they're for.   Seemingly they could open a surface crossing in the meantime using the traffic light if they wanted to.

  It is a bit concerning that there's been no public discussion at all - hopefully it won't become a 'Gateway' project.

 

There was something in either a city social media post or a city council update, that said that the bridge is progressing and even showed a tentative design. I'll see if I can find that.

[bikeoid]

19 hours ago, bikeoid said:

Not sure if it's open yet, or if the engineer has completed the final inspection.  Official ribbon cutting is in early February.

Legacy connector is open today.

[gman430]

Didn’t see this coming.  Great to see either way: 

“With the approval of a federal grant for more than $17 million dollars, bridges over West Blue Ridge Drive and Sulphur Springs Road, along with trail connectors for other parts of the district can now be built.”

https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/17-million-grant-being-put-toward-swamp-rabbit-trail/?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow

https://www.greenvillecounty.org/Council/_Agenda/Meetings of 2023/Finance Committee/2023.11.13/RAISE Grant.pdf

Edited January 26 by gman430

[gman430]

In addition to that, the county is also requesting $2 million from the state for the SRT: 

https://www.greenvillecounty.org/Council/_Agenda/Meetings of 2023/Finance Committee/2023.11.13/item4C.pdf

[Horatio Nelson]

The Legacy connector is great, need more trail offshoots like this.

[gman430]

City dreams of $28 million in new trails including a trail connector for the North Main neighborhood, a 4.5-mile loop trail around the Greenville Downtown Airport and its potential skatepark, and a half-mile connector to Timmons Park:

https://www.postandcourier.com/greenville/news/swamp-rabbit-trail-greenville-airport-loop-skatepark-funding/article_d3d47e1c-cc5a-11ee-8515-3f0ccb5cfeea.html

Featured proposed projects

North Main Connector

• Conjoin Greenville County’s Swamp Rabbit Trail Orange Line extension from outside the city limits through the North Main neighborhood to the Green Line at Laurens Road
• Estimated length: 3.8 miles
• Total estimated budget need: $5 million
• Fiscal year budget 2024-2025 estimated need: $150,000 for public input and initial design

Airport Loop Trail

• Encircle the Downtown Airport, as proposed in the city’s airport district plan
• Estimated length: 4.5 miles
• Total estimated budget need: $8 million
• Fiscal year budget 2024-2025 estimated need: $100,000 for public input and initial design

Timmons Park Connector

• Link the Wade Hampton Corridor and Timmons Park
• Estimated length: 0.5 miles
• Total estimated budget need, fiscal year 2024-2025: $500,000 for public input, design and construction

 

Other proposals

• Overbrook Neighborhood bike lanes | Length: 2 miles | Estimate: $150,000
• Timmons Park connector | Length: 0.5 miles | Estimate: $500,000
• Parallel trail from downtown to Unity Park | Length: 0.2 miles | Estimate: $600,000
• CU-ICAR to Conestee | Length: 1.5 miles | Estimate: $3 million
• Brushy Creek Trail | Length: 0.8 miles | Estimate: $1.5 million
• Arcadia Hills connector | Length: 0.3 miles | Estimate: $100,000
• Nicholtown to The Stables at Cleveland Park | Length: 0.1 miles | Estimate: $2.5 million
• Zoo to Main Street | Length: 1 mile | Estimate: $2 million
• CU-ICAR to Mauldin city limit | Length: 1 mile | Estimate: $2 million
• South Downtown, Church Street underpass improvements | Length: 0.5 miles | Estimate: $1.5 million

Citywide proposals

• Trail striping, repaving and widening | Estimate: $500,000
• Protecting on-street bike lanes | Estimate: $250,000
• On-street bike safety and visibility improvements | Estimate: $100,000

 

What’s already underway?

Green Line bridge over Verdae

• Recently opened Swamp Rabbit Trail extension will pass over Verdae Boulevard with a bridge
• Similar to the new SRT bridge over Haywood Road
• Halfway through design process
• County to extend the trail to Clemson University-ICAR campus once the bridge comes online

Sliding Rock Creek Trail II

• Hiking and mountain biking trail in Nicholtown
• Connects with original Sliding Rock Creek Trail and Swamp Rabbit Trail
• Completing in March

Laurens Road Swamp Rabbit Trail spurs

• Will connect Nicholtown, Gower and Verdae neighborhoods to the recent Swamp Rabbit Trail Green Line extension
• Bidding to open this summer

Cleveland Park pedestrian bridge

• Connecting the zoo parking lot to the Richland Way Swamp Rabbit Trail underpass at Cleveland Park
• Bidding to open this spring

Cancer Survivors Park

• Replacing the tread surface with a modified wood with a 25-year lifespan
• Completing this spring

Bike lane paving, restriping

• Redesigns of 18 corridors will add or enhance on-street bike infrastructure
• Nearly 20 miles citywide
• Completing this year

Downtown airport skatepark, pump track

• Working on a lease with the airport, will come to City Council for approval
• Will solicit community input
• Bidding to open after securing a lease

Swamp Rabbit Trail, Blue Line

• About 1 mile of trail coming to Bridgeport Estates along Ridge Road
• Eventual connection for between CU-ICAR and Conestee
• To be maintained by the city after construction
• Funded by private developer
• Currently in engineering phase

BCYCLE expansion

• More bike racks coming near the rabbit statue near The Commons, at forthcoming Mayberry Field and the Unity Park Welcome Center
• Funded by BCYCLE

 

Edited February 16 by gman430

[GvilleSC]

This is an ambitious list. Happy to see it! 

I truly believe that these investments into neighborhoods and quality of life features will continue to  make a stark contrast between living within the City of Greenville and without. It's going to make a strong case for annexation of residential areas at some point in the future. 

[NewlyUpstate]

I'm very interested in the additional trail from Unity to Downtown and Downtown to the Zoo.

Are these both along Washington somehow? Is there any additional info on either of these

The other route for Unity Park could be from the West End, perhaps along the existing rail line. That would be a nice connection too.

Edited February 16 by NewlyUpstate

[GvilleSC]

1 hour ago, NewlyUpstate said:

I'm very interested in the additional trail from Unity to Downtown and Downtown to the Zoo.

Are these both along Washington somehow? Is there any additional info on either of these

The other route for Unity Park could be from the West End, perhaps along the existing rail line. That would be a nice connection too.

I was wondering this about the  connection to Unity Park, as well. My first thought was a simple continuation of the trail along the north side of the river: across Hudson Street, alongside the Kroc Tennis Center, across Westfield Street, tying into the existing path at the District West Apartments. Truly a parallel pathway. Given the amount of traffic in this stretch of trail, I think it would be a justified redundancy.  

As for the connection to the Zoo: I assume this is utilizing the abandoned rail bed that runs under McDaniel Ave and between the Zoo and McBee/Washington.

Edited February 16 by GvilleSC

[NewlyUpstate]

3 minutes ago, GvilleSC said:

I was wondering this about the  connection to Unity Park, as well. My first thought was a simple continuation of the trail along the north side of the river: across Hudson Street, alongside the Kroc Tennis Center, across Westfield Street, tying into the existing path at the District West Apartments. 

As for the connection to the Zoo: I assume this is utilizing the abandoned rail bed that runs between the Zoo and McBee/Washington.

Ahh yeah that actually makes plenty of sense if they just are just trying to increase volume or seperate fast/slow traffic. I think you're right. 

[Galley]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:06 AM, gman430 said:

Arcadia Hills connector | Length: 0.3 miles | Estimate: $100,000

This will be very welcome, as it will also benefit the Overbrook neighborhood.

[gman430]

A donation of $500,000 from Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance has been received by the County for construction of the 2 mile Travelers Rest Greenway trail.

A donation of $600,000 from Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance has been received by the County for construction of 0.5 miles of new trail near Conestee Nature Preserve.

More info:

 https://www.greenvillecounty.org/Council/_Agenda/Meetings of 2024/Finance Committee/2024.03.11/Swamp Rabbit Trail Donations.pdf

Edited March 15 by gman430

[gman430]

This Thursday, 3/28, from 4-6pm at the Unity Park Welcome Center: city staff will be hosting a drop-in format presentation of various bike/ped improvement projects proposed for the City of Greenville. 

[gman430]

On 3/25/2024 at 9:37 AM, gman430 said:

This Thursday, 3/28, from 4-6pm at the Unity Park Welcome Center: city staff will be hosting a drop-in format presentation of various bike/ped improvement projects proposed for the City of Greenville. 

City engineers will be present to discuss:

West Antrim Sidewalks: Sidewalks and other pedestrian improvements are planned along Antrim, between Greenacre Road and Laurens Road.

Pendleton/Vardry/South Main Street: The City plans to reconfigure the intersection at Pendleton and Vardry streets, and complete a lane-reduction plan along Pendleton Street.

Stone Avenue and Wilton Street: As part of the Stone Avenue Safety Project, the City will be installing a pedestrian signal at the intersection of Stone Avenue and Wilton Street to improve safety along school routes.

Willard Street Bridge: The City will be replacing the Willard Street Bridge and improving access to the adjacent Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, near Unity Park.

Old Augusta Traffic Calming: Traffic calming and sidewalk installation plans aim to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety along this corridor.