Raleigh will break ground in April on one of its most anticipated stretches of greenway: the 3-mile House Creek Greenway. Runners, bikers, distance walkers and other greenway enthusiasts have been especially interested in the greenway because it will link the 11 miles of completed Crabtree Creek Greenway to the east with about 14 miles of greenway running from Meredith College, over I-440 to the N.C. Museum of Art, then along Reedy Creek Road into Umstead State Park and into Cary. Some quick cyphering reveals the House Creek link will create a 28-mile network of greenway.* And that’s only taking into account greenway already open.
While the start of House Creek is good news, Raleigh’s chief greenway planner, Vic Lebsock, says the project will take about two years to complete. That’s longer than most 3-mile greenway projects because it involves digging pedestrian tunnels under two major roads: Lake Boone Trail and Glen Eden Road.
The House Creek Greenway will depart the Reedy Creek Greenway on the east side of the pedestrian bridge spanning I-440 near Wade Avenue. From there it heads north along House Creek to Lake Boone Trail. There, a grade-level crossing was deemed too dangerous because of the volume of traffic on Lake Boone Trail, so the road will be closed to accommodate construction of the pedestrian tunnel. From Lake Boone, the greenway will continue north along the inner Inner Beltline (DOT’s description, not mine) to Glen Eden, where it will go under the road and cross to the west side of the Beltline (or the outer Inner Beltline). It’ll noodle around briefly in Glen Eden Pilot Park, then continue up to Blue Ridge Road where it will cross at a Pedestrian Refuge —
Pedestrian Refuge?
“It’s a center median so you can cross one lane at a time,” explains Lebsock.
The greenway then crosses Crabtree Valley Avenue and connects with the Crabtree Creek Greenway at the McDonald’s.
The project also includes a connector path linking the neighborhood north of Wade Avenue and east of Ridge Road with the Reedy Creek Greenway and the emerging House Creek Greenway.
The completion of House Creek will come at a time when assorted trail tumblers in the Raleigh and Cary greenway systems will be falling into alignment. As reported yesterday, construction began last week on the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway; Lebsock says that stretch will open in phases and be completed in 2014. Included in that project are four-mile sections on both the Crabtree Creek and Walnut Creek greenways that will hook up those trails to the Neuse Greenway. Walnut Creek connects on the west side of Raleigh with the 4.5-mile Rocky Branch Greenway. Rocky Branch, with help from a 0.3-mile improvised connection through the N.C. State Campus and the 0.4-mile Gorman Street connector, connects with the Reedy Creek trail that runs through Meredith College, the N.C. Museum of Art and on to Umstead State Park.
That’s a lot to keep track of in words. The significance: With all this construction there could be nearly 80 miles of connected greenway in Raleigh and Cary sometime in 2014. If you were looking at getting in a good training ride on pure greenway — again, with a short, improvised connection through N.C. State — you could do a 35-mile loop traveling clockwise from Anderson Point on the Neuse to Walnut Creek to Rocky Branch to Reedy Creek to House Creek to Crabtree Creek.
I’ll post a comprehensive map depicting this development next week.
* Includes the five-mile stretch through Umstead that isn’t paved, but is a compacted screened gravel. Also includes about a half mile on the mostly gravel, little traveled Old Reedy Creek Road linking Umstead’s aforementioned bike and bridle trail with Cary’s Black Creek Greenway.
Photo: The House Creek Greenway will hook into the Reedy Creek Greenway on the other side of this pedestrian bridge spanning I-440.
Joe, thanks for the update. As a resident of a nearby neighborhood and commuter on the Reedy Creek Greenway, I am excited to finally see this section get underway.
I was under the impression from the maps on the wakegov website that there was going to be a greenway on Wade between Ridge Rd and 440. You mention that there will be a connector from the neighborhood. Are these the same thing or was there a change in plans?
Also, do you know if the gate at the bridge will be removed since there will be access now without going through Meredith? My understanding was that the gate was for Meredith’s sake.
Thanks again for the update.
Hi Richard,
Yes, I believe the connector from Ridge Road to the greenway is the one you’re seeing on the wakegov web site. And I’ll look into the gate; That’s a good question.
Joe
Great news on greenway construction. I assume that the small but pesky Duraleigh connector is still on hold. Any good news on that front?
Alas, no. In fact it’s the worst news imaginable: The lawyers are still dealing with it.
Every day I take Glen Eden down the hill to the 440 overpass and look wistfully at where the Greenway is supposed to be as I start to climb back out of the overpass valley. Of course the greenway would only delay that climb by moving it somewhere else, but first thing in the morning I will gladly take that delay. I can’t wait for this greenway to open. I also look forward to a real loop around the town. For the past two years, to burn off some post Thanksgiving calories, my friends and have done the “Raleigh-go-‘Round” loop, sticking to greenways as much as possible and circling the city (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Raleigh-Greenway-Loop), but, of course, it’s really a North Raleigh stretch and a South Raleigh stretch with a lot of road travel to connect the two. I really look forward to the year we can do the whole thing on Greenways. Thanks for the update, Joe.
Now that a real loop seems to really be in our future, how about some more spokes on that wheel to get us in to down town?
This greenway is much anticipated by folks in West Raleigh like myself. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed by how it connects to the greenway by the mall, that’s a pretty congested area and it sounds like none of the road crossings will be even protected by signals.
Continuing along Blue Ridge Road (the east fork, not the west for that turns into Lead Mine Road) and then just using the stairs to the greenway will be safest/best: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.837244,-78.674212(Stairs)&sll=35.837238,-78.674312&sspn=0.002092,0.005155&ie=UTF8&ll=35.837216,-78.674195&spn=0.001046,0.002578&t=h&z=19. If the city would build a sidewalk there along the east side of Blue Ridge, that would help things even more.
A few other notable greenway links are currently under construction by NCSU. The Rocky Branch Greenway phase 3 through the middle of campus is almost done (in fact it looked almost entirely done last weekend, except for the fence preventing access.) The Centennial Campus Greenway extension is also under construction on the north shore of Lake Raleigh; this will eventually serve as the link between Lake Johnson and the rest of the city’s greenway network.
Hey Owen,
That’s good to hear about Rocky Branch through NC State and the Centennial Campus greenway. I’ll see if I can find some details on both.
Thanks,
Joe
Owen,
While it still involves some road travel and crossing Blue Ridge, my favourite method currently is to take the Pilot Park Greenway from Glen Eden to Blue Ridge -> Right on Blue Ridge -> Left on Homewood Banks -> Cross Crabtree Valley Ave. and hook up with the Greenway as it cuts across the back entrance to the Mall.
So here it is July 17th 2010 and nothing has started on the House Creek Greenway. Does anyone know what happened? I have had far to many close calls commuting via bike down Blue Ridge.
Thanks for the keen eyes, Mr. uh, Yonderboy. It’s been a while since I’ve talked with Vic Lebsock; I’ll call him this week and report back.
Joe, do you have a current status on the House Creek Greenway construction?
This is the latest, from about three weeks ago … https://www.getgoingnc.com/2010/08/raleigh-greenway%E2%80%99s-march-to-100-miles-a-progress-report/
Hi Joe. Any news on the House Creek Greenway? I know everyone is anxious about this.
Hi Kathy,
Construction has begun. I noticed that work was underway when I drove past on the Beltline earlier in the week. I’ll get an update from Vic Lebsock and report back.
Joe