Rails to Trails

[transplant08]

Can't seem to find a map showing exactly where the 5 mile extension of the SWT will be. Can anyone provide a link?

https://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v4/greenville.ko55nm6i/page.html?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiZ3JlZW52aWxsZSIsImEiOiJiWE5Zd3BRIn0.-3o5t6kz-GO58c1_u_kwGw

[johnpro318]

I certainly hope they will get creative and come up with a new name for this new section of trail.  Does it really make sense to continue to name any new trail the Swamp Rabbit? Seems like that would be as confusing and naming all streets downtown Main St.

 

This article from WSPA says this portion will be called the Greenlink Greenway.

 

http://www.wspa.com/story/27829931/greenville-to-decide-whether-to-invest-25m-in-trail-expansion?clienttype=mobile

Edited January 13, 2015 by johnpro318

[MAJIKMAN]

https://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v4/greenville.ko55nm6i/page.html?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiZ3JlZW52aWxsZSIsImEiOiJiWE5Zd3BRIn0.-3o5t6kz-GO58c1_u_kwGw

 

OK. That kind of makes since. Being that there is already a bridge crossing Richland Creek. But that bridge is way to small for the kind of traffic that could be produced. With that being said. If they are going to replace it. That's if. They should think of changing the location of the crossing. That is if that is the actual path of trail.

[johnpro318]

OK. That kind of makes since. Being that there is already a bridge crossing Richland Creek. But that bridge is way to small for the kind of traffic that could be produced. With that being said. If they are going to replace it. That's if. They should think of changing the location of the crossing. That is if that is the actual path of trail.

Hopefully, they will close Richland Way into a one way road or pedestrian/bike path only.

[bikeoid]

https://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v4/greenville.ko55nm6i/page.html?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiZ3JlZW52aWxsZSIsImEiOiJiWE5Zd3BRIn0.-3o5t6kz-GO58c1_u_kwGw

 

Thanks for the map - it's a shame that it looks like the trail will need to jog across Halton Rd along Haywood Rd instead of continuing straight along the old railroad bed.   That might be something to do with the best place to build a bridge.

[RiverWalker]

Thanks for the map - it's a shame that it looks like the trail will need to jog across Halton Rd along Haywood Rd instead of continuing straight along the old railroad bed.   That might be something to do with the best place to build a bridge.

I wouldn't take that map too literally at this point. It certainly looks to me as though that route was laid out with the specific assumption that there would NOT be any new bridges. For instance, the crossing of Laurens Road appears to connect with Bonview Drive, while the Haywood Road appears to utilize the stub of road that goes through to Indexx. With a new bridge in the plan, then it definitely makes more sense to use the straight path of the railroad ROW to cross Haywood Road. We'll have to wait to see a map that shows a route WITH new bridges.

[transplant08]

I wouldn't take that map too literally at this point. It certainly looks to me as though that route was laid out with the specific assumption that there would NOT be any new bridges. For instance, the crossing of Laurens Road appears to connect with Bonview Drive, while the Haywood Road appears to utilize the stub of road that goes through to Indexx. With a new bridge in the plan, then it definitely makes more sense to use the straight path of the railroad ROW to cross Haywood Road. We'll have to wait to see a map that shows a route WITH new bridges.

map came from this greenville news article 

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/money/business/2015/01/09/swamp-rabbit-trail-extension-go/21515945/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=

[Gville29601]

Nice Gville News story about difficulties of connecting SRT to Lake Conestee.  I don't agree with Sudduth. I think the trail should go along Parkins Mill. I don't agree with his statement that these homes are in a "neighborhood." Parkins Mill is a thoroughfare for many vehicles during the day.  

 

I think the city should tell the Parkins Mill residents that the trail will be extended there if a Gville Country Club agreement cannot be reached by 2016. Then maybe those 30-40 residents, who are likely also members of the Gville Country Club, will convince the country club board to agree to the easement the city wants. IMHO

 

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/longform/news/local/2015/01/28/country-club-hesitant-solve-swamp-rabbits-missing-link/22490499/

[GvilleSC]

Nice Gville News story about difficulties of connecting SRT to Lake Conestee. I don't agree with Sudduth. I think the trail should go along Parkins Mill. I don't agree with his statement that these homes are in a "neighborhood." Parkins Mill is a thoroughfare for many vehicles during the day.

I think the city should tell the Parkins Mill residents that the trail will be extended there if a Gville Country Club agreement cannot be reached by 2016. Then maybe those 30-40 residents, who are likely also members of the Gville Country Club, will convince the country club board to agree to the easement the city wants. IMHO

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/longform/news/local/2015/01/28/country-club-hesitant-solve-swamp-rabbits-missing-link/22490499/

That's not a bad idea.

[sc smitty]

Most of the route along Parkins Mill would be within the existing road right of way, so it would not be using any private property in people's front yards.  People already have the right to use the existing sidewalks there.  The Swamp Rabbit would simply be a widened sidewalk.  I don't see what the big objection from the neighborhood would be. Seems like simply caving to political pressure.  In spite of that, I think a route that keeps off road through the country club along the river would be much nicer.

[johnpro318]

I don't know if they would ever do it but I wish Greenville would start buying all (most?) of the property along Lowndes Hill Road between Hillside Drive and Keith on the interstate side to build a future park. A lot of the undeveloped part is in a flood zone I believe so nothing worthy, attractive will ever be built there. It has some good tree cover though that the city might want to save and could be a good entrance to the future Chick Springs trail for the apartments off Century and the housing complex off Keith.

 

I really like the Chick Springs trail because it would bring the trail even closer to my house - hopefully connect with Timmons Park. That park needs a little work too, maybe after McPherson is completed?

[vicupstate]

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/CommDev/forms/EnvironmentalReview1.pdf

 

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/CommDev/forms/EnvironmentalReview2.pdf

 

On or about January 26, 2015 the City of Greenville will submit a request to the SC Department of Commerce/Grants Administration Division for the release of CDBG funds to undertake the River Street Underpass project This project will build an underpass trail beneath the River Street Bridge to provide safe pedestrian access along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 17.5 mile long trail that is the backbone of the City and County’s greenway system. In addition to the underpass construction, this project will include the construction of some trail facilities such as pedestrian ramps and lighting and aesthetic treatments. The connecting trail will traverse both the 100 year floodplain and the floodway of the Reedy River. The City will receive $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the South Carolina Department of Commerce via the Appalachian Regional Commission to fund the approximate $465,000 River Street Underpass project.

[Galley]

Good lord, is that a lot of paperwork (red tape)!

[vicupstate]

http://upstatebusinessjournal.com/news/swamp-rabbit-inn-adds-2-properties/

 

More SRT impact. 

[vicupstate]

Fodor's puts the SRT in it's top ten!

 

From Gville News:

 

They teach you in elementary school about the varying ways that humans settle together – urban, suburban, rural — and the Swamp Rabbit Trail takes cyclists on a journey through each.

Well, the longtime, acclaimed travel publicationFodor's Travel Guide has taken its own field trip — and it has keyed in on the Swamp Rabbit's urban stretch through downtown Greenville as the first on its list of Top 10 "America's Best Urban Bike Paths."

Downtown Greenville joins a collection of some of America's largest and well-known cities on the list — Philadelphia, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Honolulu.

The list is an ode to May as "National Bike Month."

The explanation is succinct — and Greenville is mentioned first.

"Tracing the tree-lined banks of the Reedy River," the publication says, the trail "runs right through downtown. Stop at +Falls Park on the Reedy for a photo op in front of its rushing waterfall and manicured gardens, or cut up to Soby's on Main Street for chef Shaun Garcia's contemporary take on Southern specialties."

The publication points cyclists to the emerging Sans Souci area where "on weekends, locals pedal west to Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Follow their lead to fresh, gourmet coffee and cheesy Turkish pogacha puff pastries."

 

The guide's "inside tip" points cyclists to downtown's Reedy Rides, which offers $30 full-day bike rentals, "just one block north from the start of the trail."

The "start" of the trail is an elusive concept.

At the northernmost point, the trail begins in a rural area just north of downtown Travelers Rest, which before the northern extension was the genesis of the trail.

The trail travels down through Furman University, through the west side's old mill villages and after winding through downtown, meets a sudden, 1.5-mile interruption at Greenville Tech before the trail picks up again to end in Lake Conestee Natural Park.

The guide describes the particular urban experience of trails.

"While cycling can be a great way to commune with nature, cities all across the United States — from Sacramento to Indianapolis and down to St. Petersburg —are developing more cyclist-friendly environments with designated bike paths. Luckily for travelers, these urban trails double as roadmaps to the very best of art, dining and adventure in each destination, no matter what time of year."

 

The Top 10 urban bike paths as listed in order:

* Swamp Rabbit Trail, Greenville, South Carolina

* Indianapolis Cultural Trail – Indianopolis, Indiana

* Sioux Falls Bike Trail – Sioux Falls, South Dakota

* Capital City State Trail – Madison, Wisconsin

* Atlanta Beltline – Atlanta, Georgia

* Virginia Capital Trail – Richmond, Virginia

* Schuylkill River Trail – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

* Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail – Sacramento, California

* King Street Protect Bike Lane – Honolulu, Hawaii

* Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail – St. Petersburg, Florida

Click here for an expanded look at the list.

[Jet-set]

Any updates as to the expected start date on the extension to ICAR?

[Jet-set]

Edit: double post

Edited May 23, 2015 by Jet-set

[GvilleSC]

Any updates as to the expected start date on the extension to ICAR?

What does that refer to?

[Galley]

What does that refer to?

The Greenlink Greenway that will run from the Cleveland Park area to ICAR.

[Jet-set]

Yes. Thanks Galley. Every article I read says this extension project is going 'full steam ahead', but no dates are given.

[Jet-set]

Found some insight on timeline at GSABusiness' website:

 

'Since 2006, the city has invested $8 million in the planning and construction of the trail within the city limits, and “the city and county wish to continue their collaboration to expand the popular Swamp Rabbit Trail for use by local citizens and visitors,” according to documents.

'If Greenville County builds the required bridges and executes a contract to construct the trail before Dec. 31, 2016, the city will supply the $2.5 million from tourism related funds during the next two financial years.'

 

Full link: http://upstatebusinessjournal.com/news/city-approves-2-5m-swamp-rabbit-trail-extension/

 

(City budget including this project was approved Monday 6/8/15)

Edited June 11, 2015 by Jet-set

[gman430]

The water fountain even works:

[GvilleSC]

Where is that?

[gman430]

Where is that?

South Hudson at Welborn Streets.

[SVL]

This is a nice project that will add to the trail. 

 

http://www.friendsofthereedyriver.org/2015/06/ymca-teams-with-forr-on-new-corridor-project/