Over the last few months I’ve noticed the new paved trail near Ridgewood Shopping Center and then the new pedestrian tunnels take shape along the beltline. All of this has led me to ask, “What is going on?” So, on the third day of Raleigh Parks visits, we did some exploratory research into the pedestrian tunnels and new paved trails that have been popping up in the area.
It seems the new greenway trails are part of the House Creek Greenway Trail that is currently under construction. According to the Raleigh Parks and Rec website, this will be a 2.9 mile greenway that will extend from the Reedy Creek Trail at the I-440 pedestrian bridge to Crabtree Creek Trail at the intersection of Blue Ridge Rd and Crabtree Valley Blvd. This piece of the greenway will give folks in North Raleigh a pedestrian trail for accessing Umstead Park.
In looking at the proposed trail map, this section of the greenway will start near the intersection of Wade Ave and Ridge Rd and head west along the inner beltline, go under Lake Boone Trail, go under Glen Eden Dr, meander through Glen Eden Pilot Park and then come out on Blue Ridge Rd near the McDonald’s. From there, you can easily access Crabtree Creek Trail.
As I mentioned, we were out today to just explore what’s going on, especially since all the trails are still under construction and closed at this point. We can’t wait to report back in Spring 2012 after it’s all finished!
Thumbs up: increased greenway access, pedestrian options for accessing Umstead Park, informative Raleigh Parks & Rec website
Thumbs down: nothing to report so far
We are residents’ of Downtown Raleigh. We went out for a bike ride today along the trail from Meredith College and the NC museum. However, much to our dismay and to that of others we met along the way, we found that the gates to the greenway were closed. The signs post the the trails are closed before and after dark. It does not say it is closed on holidays. Does this mean that we don’t have to pay taxes on a holidays either?