To follow along with the trails mentioned below, download a copy of the Raleigh greenway map here.

The first 8 miles of the the Neuse Greenway Trail is all but 20-feet finished.

That’s the official word this morning from Raleigh Senior Greenway Planner Vic Lebsock. Officially, there’s only 20 feet left to finish, on a boardwalk a little over two miles south of the northern trailhead (off the old Falls of Neuse Road). A stretch under Capital Boulevard and greenway under the new Falls of Neuse Road — both of which were under construction a month ago — have been completed, Lebsock said. That means you could start from the southern trailhead, at the WRAL/CASL Soccer Complex off Perry Creek Road between Capital Boulevard and Louisburg Road, and travel unencumbered six miles upstream.

Lebsock couldn’t say when the 20-foot gap would be finished. He could say, “We hope to have the official ribbon cutting in November.” He also could say that while the trail officially isn’t open, there sure are a lot of people have discovered the greenway and are using it.

While the 20-foot-gap issue gets resolved, construction on most of the rest of the Neuse Greenway Trail should get underway within the next two weeks. Lebsock says construction should begin from Horseshoe Creek Farm (just across the Neuse River from where the aforementioned 8-mile stretch ends) south to near the Heddingham neighborhood, and from Anderson Point south to the Johnston County Line. Two remaining mile-long stretches are expected to go to bid by January.

Lebsock says the entire 28-mile Neuse Greenway Trail — from Falls of Neuse dam south to the Johnston County line — remains on target to be finished by the end of 2012.

“We’re right on schedule,” says Lebsock

In other Raleigh greenway news:

House Creek Greenway. This much-anticipated 2.9-mile greenway will connect the city’s Reedy Creek Greenway on the west with the 11-mile-long Crabtree Creek Greenway to the east. Lebsock says construction continues all along this stretch, which essentially parallels Raleigh’s Beltline (I-440). He said “unforeseen construction problems” have delayed reopening of Glen Eden Road, under which a pedestrian tunnel has been built (the tunnel, in addition to a tunnel under Lake Boone Trail, are both finished), and work continues on a connector greenway extending from Ridge Road that links into House Creek and the Reedy Creek greenways just east of the pedestrian bridge over the Beltline.

That connector plays a key role in a seemingly unrelated greenway two miles to the west. There, a  greenway less than a mile long has been built along Edwards Mill Road by the N.C. Department of Transportation linking the Reedy Creek Trail with the RBC Center. As part of the House Creek project, the gates on the pedestrian bridge over the Beltline will be removed. Those gates are locked at night to prevent access to the Meredith College campus, through which the southeastern portion of the Reedy Creek Greenway passes (a new gate will be built in the pedestrian tunnel under Wade Avenue, through which the Reedy Creek Greenway passes). Using street connectors and greenways, it will be possible for people living inside the Beltline to take the greenway to Carolina Hurricanes games and other evening events at the RBC Center.

Lebsock says the entire House Creek project should be finished by March 2012.

Crabtree Creek Greenway extension to the Neuse River. Currently, the 11-mile greenway follows its namesake creek from near Duraleigh Road downstream to Milburnie Road. This four-mile project would link the Milburnie end with the Neuse River and Neuse Greenway Trail. Lebsock says stretch will likely go to bid in January or February, with completion targeted for the second quarter of 2013. (On the northwest end, the Crabtree Creek Greenway eventually will run to Umstead State Park and hook into the park’s 18-mile bike and bridle trail network.

Walnut Creek Greenway to New Hope Road. The Walnut Creek Greenway currently runs along the south side of Raleigh, from Lake Wheeler Road east to Worthdale Park. Eventually, greenway to be built through N.C. State’s Centennial Campus will link it with the Lake Johnson Greenway to the west. To the east, four miles remain before the Walnut Creek Greenway taps into the emerging Neuse Greenway Trail. Two of those miles, from Worthdale Park to South New Hope Road, will go out to bid in 30 to 60 days, according to Lebsock. That stretch should open by the end of 2012. Funding for the remaining two miles, from South New Hope to the Neuse, rests in the fate of a $40 million transportation bond that goes before Raleigh voters Oct. 11.

Honeycutt Creek Greenway: The 6-mile Honeycutt Creek Greenway will run from Strickland Road to Falls Lake, where it will connect with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Lebsock says a few final approvals and permits are needed for this trail, but that it should go to bid shortly and construction should begin in January. It is expected to be finished by the end of 2012.

The post First 8 miles of Neuse Trail 20 feet from ‘officially’ opening appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

In 2008, though, Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker decided it should be. And, he said, we should get it done in four years — an ambitious deadline for a 28-mile, $30 million greenway project that would require seven pedestrian bridges crossing the Neuse River and numerous more over smaller tributaries.  This summer, says Raleigh Senior Greenway Planner Vic Lebsock, the first 8-mile stretch of the Neuse River Greenway should open.

“It should open late June or early July,” says Lebsock of the northernmost stretch of the greenway, which will run from the Falls Lake dam downstream to the WRAL Soccer Complex near Louisburg Road.

This stretch — 7.9 miles in length, actually — will require seven bridges, none over the Neuse. It will be the longest stretch of single greenway ever opened at one time in the Triangle. The project is being funded, in part, by federal stimulus money.

Additionally, Lebsock says, the city expects to award bids in about 60 days for another 20 miles of the greenway, from just below the WRAL Soccer Complex and Horseshoe Farm Park to the Johnston County line. Portions of that stretch could open by mid 2012; the entire 20 miles could be done by early 2013. That would leave a three-quarter-mile stretch of the greenway, at Horseshoe Farm Park. Lebsock says they had to tinker with the design of that stretch, but that it should go out to bid this year and be completed in 2013. That’s a little past Meeker’s 2012 goal.

Significant as the 28-mile Neuse Greenway is in its own right, it becomes more so considering another stretch of Raleigh greenway scheduled to be bid this fall. Currently, the Crabtree Creek Trail Greenway runs 11.7 miles, from near Duraleigh Road not far from Umstead State Park down Crabtree Creek to Milburnie Road. The 4-mile stretch of greenway going to bid this fall would continue Crabtree Creek Trail downstream to the Neuse River — connecting into the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway.

Quick math — the 11.7-mile Crabtree Trail plus the 28-mile Neuse River Greenway — would suggest that’s 39.7 miles of connected greenway. But that’s not including the six miles of greenway the heads north from Crabtree Trail past Shelley Lake. And if you were here yesterday, you learned that that stretch will be extended another six miles north, to Falls Lake, next year with construction of the Honeycutt Creek Greenway (that gets us up to 45 miles). And, again had you been here yesterday, you would have discovered that the 2.9-mile House Creek Greenway is now under construction and should open by year’s end (48.6 miles). That greenway will link the Crabtree Creek Trail with the Reedy Creek Greenway, which is part of an additional 24 miles of Raleigh greenway (72.6 miles). Reedy Creek also connects with the 5-mile bike & bridle trail in Umstead State Park (77.6 miles), which connects with the 6-mile — and growing — Black Creek Greenway in Cary.

By my cyphering, that’s a total of 83.6 miles of connected greenway. To keep my head from exploding I’ll forgo, for right now, mentioning that Cary is in the process of finishing a link of the Black Creek Greenway, which runs into Fred Bond Park where it connects with the White Oak Creek Greenway, which will eventually connect with the 22-mile American Tobacco Trail.

In short, in two years, the Triangle should have more than 100 miles of interconnected greenway.

Photo: In the beginning (and at present), the Neuse River Greenway consisted of a 3.5-mile stretch of natural surface path running upstream from Anderson Point.

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“We’ve been a little slowed by the weather,” says Raleigh senior greenway planner Vic Lebsock of the winter’s cold and snow, “but we should be done by the end of this year.”

Construction, as many of you have noticed, has begun at the south end of the trail, at Wade Avenue and the Beltline. That’s where House Creek will tap into the Reedy Creek Greenway. (An extension running less than a quarter mile north along Wade Avenue will  hook into the bike-laned Ridge Road.) Lebsock says the confluence of that extension with the House Creek and Reedy Creek greenways will require a “bridge … that will be like a cloverleaf.” Can’t wait to see that.

When House Creek is completed, Raleigh will have nearly 38 miles of interconnected greenway. You could, for instance, ride a bike west from Worthdale Park along Walnut Creek in Southeast Raleigh, hang a right along Rocky Branch through N.C. State University, pick up the Reedy Creek Greenway and take it to the House Creek Greenway, take it over to the Crabtree Trail Greenway and travel almost all the way to WakeMed, a distance of about 22 miles — all on greenway. If you lived in North Raleigh near Shelley Lake, you could ride greenway to the south edge of downtown. If you lived in Southeast Raleigh and went to N.C. State, you could ride the greenway to class. If you were at Crabtree Valley Mall and thought your appendix was on the fritz, you could ride the greenway almost to WakeMed.

In short, when it’s done, the House Creek Greenway will turn Raleigh’s greenway system into a legitimate secondary transportation network for cyclists. Throw in the city’s 100-mile network of bike routes — roads deemed safe for cyclists — and, well, I wouldn’t call Raleigh Portland just yet. But the City of Oaks is making a good run.

Raleigh’s system promises to get even bigger soon. According to Lebsock:

• Bids are expected to go out shortly on construction of the 6-mile Honeycutt Creek Greenway. Honeycutt will extend existing greenway that runs south from the Crabtree Creek Trail through Shelley Lake to the Crabtree Creek Trail greenway, north to Falls Lake. Expect that stretch to be finished by the end of 2012.
• This fall, the city expects to bid the missing stretch of Crabtree Creek Trail greenway extending from it’s current southeast terminus at Milburnie Road to the Neuse River. That 4-mile stretch is expected to be completed the second quarter of 2013.
• Two more miles of Walnut Creek Greenway also are expected to be bid soon. That will take the greenway to New Hope Road. Eventually, the Walnut Creek Greenway will continue on to the Neuse River.

It’s a lot to keep up with. Lebsock says the city hopes to help you keep pace with recent developments through a new greenway map that should be available in two to three weeks. The current map was issued in 2008.

Encouraging as the House Creek development is, an even longer stretch of greenway is scheduled to open this summer in Raleigh. It’s — dang! I’m outta space for today.

Return tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to that sentence.

Go here to find a map of Raleigh’s greenway system.

* The northwest end of the Reedy Creek Greenway meets with a 5-mile stretch of fine, hard-surface gravel that runs through Umstead State Park, connecting with the Black Creek Greenway in Cary. That adds another 10.6-miles of continuous, bike-friendly trail.

The post Raleigh greenway update: From House Creek to Portland appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Such is the life of the greenway point man for the North Carolina city with the most greenways.

Lebsock, senior greenway planner for Raleigh, and Sig Hutchinson spoke Thursday night at the monthly meeting of the Capital Group chapter of the Sierra Club. Hutchinson, the Triangle’s leading greenway and trails advocate, provided a big picture look at the Triangle’s evolving greenway system, noting that while the area hasn’t quite reached the tipping point (the point at which a novelty becomes necessity) that day is near. It could occur within four years, as key greenway projects in Cary, Durham and Raleigh are completed and join to form a continuous trail network making it possible, say, to get from Walnut Creek in Southeast Raleigh to downtown Durham via a 10-foot-wide swath of pedestrian-only greenway.

Currently, there’s about 145 miles of greenway in the Triangle. By 2014, that number should reach 220, based on projects scheduled to be completed within the next four years. Of those additional 75 miles, 41 will be in Raleigh. Here’s the update Lebsock gave Thursday night for those 41 miles in oak town. To follow along, call up the Raleigh Greenway map, here.

Neuse River Greenway
Miles: 28
Status: Construction is underway on the northernmost eight miles, heading south from Falls Lake dam. Those eight miles should be finished by April. The entire 28 miles, which will run from the dam to the Johnston County line, are expected to be finished by 2014.
Significance: This will be the longest greenway in the Triangle and will link the Crabtree Creek and Walnut Creek greenways, roughly creating a semicircle of greenway running from Lake Johnson east along Walnut Creek to the Neuse, then north to Crabtree Creek and northwest to Umstead State Park. The greenway is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, an in-progress passage beginning at Clingman’s Dome on the Tennessee border and running across the state to Jockey’s Ridge on the coast.

Honeycutt Creek Greenway
Miles: 6.
Status: Construction is scheduled to be completed by Spring of 2012.
Significance: Will link greenway running from Crabtree Creek north past Shelley Lake with the South Shore Trail at Falls Lake. The South Shore Trail, a natural surface passage, is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and currently runs about 43 miles, from Durham County to Falls Lake dam.

House Creek Greenway
Miles: 2.9
Status: Under construction, should be finished in the summer of 2012.
Significance: A relatively short but highly anticipated stretch of greenway, this stretch will link an existing 13-mile swath of greenway running from Meredith College across the Beltline to the N.C. Museum of Art then on through Umstead State Park into Cary with the 11-mile (and growing) Crabtree Creek Greenway. The Honeycutt Creek connection will greatly expand the potential for getting around Raleigh via greenway. The two-year time frame for a relatively short stretch of greenway is due to the fact that two tunnels will need to be built as part of the project, which will also be Raleigh’s first greenway project to necessitate detouring road traffic.

Walnut Creek Greenway: Rose Lane to Neuse River
Miles: 4.5.
Status: Actually, says Lebsock, only 2.9 miles of this stretch is currently funded, from the greenway’s current eastern end east to South New Hope Road: The remaining 1.6 miles will finish the Walnut Creek Greenway’s link to the in-progress Neuse River Greenway (see above). The 2.9-mile stretch should be done by Summer 2012.
Significance: The 4.5-mile stretch would create a continuous 11-mile stretch of greenway from the Neuse Greenway west to N.C. State’s Centennial Campus. (Greenway planned for the Centennial Campus would connect with additional Raleigh greenway that links to and encircles Lake Johnson.

Crabtree Creek East Greenway
Miles: 4.1.
Status: This stretch, which would link the in-the-works Neuse River Greenway with 11 miles of existing Crabtree Creek Greenway, should be finished by late 2012.
Significance: Will create 15.1 miles of continuous greenway from the Neuse River northwest, to just shy of Duraleigh Road. There, another missing link in the greenway chain will run another two miles or so and connect with trail in Umstead State Park. (For an update on that stretch, go to last Saturday’s post.)

The post Raleigh greenway’s march to 100 miles: A progress report appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Some background. In the mid-1990s, Sig Hutchinson’s brother-in-law bought a mountain bike. It looked like fun, so Hutchinson bought one, too. Besides, a 23-mile-long trail ran behind his house that looked like it would be fun to ride. Trouble was, he soon learned, that trail — the South Shore Trail along Falls Lake, part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail — was off limits to two-wheeled pedestrians. No biggie, he thought: I’ll just get a little grass roots support going and we’ll get the trail open to mountain biking. “We’ll be riding it in six months, tops,” he told me at the time.

It’s 15 years later and that trail is still open only to hikers. In the meantime, Hutchinson has emerged as the Triangle’s leading advocate for trails and greenways (he’s a past president of the Triangle Greenways Council and currently chairs Wake County’s Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee), and one of its prime advocates for mass transportation. Despite his initial setback in trail advocacy and his subsequent brushes with bureaucracy on various levels, Hutchinson sticks to his motivational speaker roots and retains an indefatigable optimism that sees the cup not only half full, but somehow brimming half full.

Vic Lebsock, on the other hand, has worked within the bureaucracy in Raleigh for 22 years, much of that as senior planner for Raleigh’s greenways. He knows how legal issues can strangle a project: Punching through a 2-mile stretch of greenway along Crabtree Creek that would link 11 miles of existing greenway with Umstead State Park has been a 10-year battle thanks to a neighborhood lawsuit. He knows how challenges with lowest-bidding contractors can bog down a project: Repairing a 200-yard boardwalk on the Crabtree Creek greenway took two years longer than expected due to disputes with the contractor. And every project he begins begins with an environmental assessment that can raise all sorts of unforeseen challenges. As a result, perhaps, of being too optimistic early on, he’s learned not to raise the hopes of his constituents with optimistic projections.

Their divergent cup half full vs. cup-becoming-half-full-but-not-as-quickly-as-you-might-hope viewpoints surfaced when they were asked about the status of the aforementioned 2-mile stretch of missing greenway linking the Crabtree Greenway with Umstead. There was a pause as the two eyed each other for direction. “How much can I say about that?” Hutchinson asked Lebsock. “Can I say anything? I can say something. …”

The two went on to jointly explain that the project had been held hostage by a lawsuit between the landowner, a quarry seeking city approval to expand operations on land it already owned, and neighbors, who weren’t crazy about china-rattling dynamite blasting closer to home. A series of recent events appears to be breaking the lawsuit logjam, but because it is a sensitive — and still potentially volatile — legal issue, and because it has dragged on for 10 years, just how quickly that logjam might unjam is unclear. Enter the diverging philosophies.

“I think we might see something happen within 18 months,” Hutchinson offered, adding. “We have the money for the project, by the way.”

Lebsock demurred. “This has been going on for 10 years.” That seemed to make Hutchinson even more optimistic; moments later he changed his prediction to 6 to 9 months.

Six months or nine months or 18, “it’s looking very optimistic,” Hutchinson emphasized. Regardless, it’s certainly closer to being a done deal than mountain biking on the South Shore Trail.

* * *

Vic Lebsock may have been reluctant to attach a timeline to the missing Crabtree/Umstead greenway link, but he wasn’t when it came to five other Raleigh greenway projects. Come back Monday and we’ll give you the latest word on five projects that will add 41 miles of greenway to Raleigh’s existing 63 miles by 2014.

The post Mining a solution to Raleigh’s missing greenway link appeared first on GetGoing NC!.