Razorback Greenway and other NWA Trail Systems

[Mith242]

I've been meaning to update some info here. I don't think the Scull Creek Trail will be completed at the end of the year considering how close we are to it. Although they are still waiting for Gregg St road construction to be completed. But I've noticed they haven't paved much in some areas away from Gregg St. Seems like I drove by Poplar St last week or so and noticed some paving being done. But I don't know if I recall seeing anything going on south of Sycamore. But even if it does take a little while longer I'm glad this section will be taken care of before this budget crunch has come up. The Scull Creek Trail will help tie some of the other trails together. But I imagine future trails might take quite a bit longer to complete unless more revenue starts coming in to Fayetteville.

[Mith242]

I recently saw a mention of Gregg not being completed till summer. Which of course means the Scull Creek Trail addition won't be finished till at least summer either. Disappointing if it's true. I really though this was going to get done sooner than that.

[cocothief]

I recently saw a mention of Gregg not being completed till summer. Which of course means the Scull Creek Trail addition won't be finished till at least summer either. Disappointing if it's true. I really though this was going to get done sooner than that.

Thats a bummer. I was out on my old mtn bike yesterday tooling around, and I started thinking about Scull Creek Tr, as it will be my excuse for buying a new high-quality bike.

I guess I have a few more months to save up before making that purchase.

[Mith242]

There was a little article in today's Northwest Arkansas Times about the trail system. Basically they are working on the designs of the five bridges that will be used on the Scull Creek Trail. Sounds like bidding could start in a week. I have seen them doing some work around Poplar, Sycamore and North. I'm not sure what's been done further south. I'm pretty sure the trail is supposed to eventually hook up with the Frisco trail that starts at the south end of the WAC parking lot. I was thinking that section was supposed to be done later this year but I'm not sure on that.

[aerotive]

There was a little article in today's Northwest Arkansas Times about the trail system. Basically they are working on the designs of the five bridges that will be used on the Scull Creek Trail. Sounds like bidding could start in a week. I have seen them doing some work around Poplar, Sycamore and North. I'm not sure what's been done further south. I'm pretty sure the trail is supposed to eventually hook up with the Frisco trail that starts at the south end of the WAC parking lot. I was thinking that section was supposed to be done later this year but I'm not sure on that.

Can't wait for this to be completed. I walk the Frisco trail frequently and this'll give me another route. How will the trail cross Poplar/Sycamore/North? Over/underpasses or street level?

[Mith242]

Can't wait for this to be completed. I walk the Frisco trail frequently and this'll give me another route. How will the trail cross Poplar/Sycamore/North? Over/underpasses or street level?

That's still something I don't know if I ever heard. I know they only have the trail crossing two lane roads so far. I believe they would be trying to get it to go underneath. North St doesn't look like any part of it's a bridge, but Scull Creek crosses underneath it between Leverett and the railroad tracks. But I was wondering though if there was enough room. I was thinking I heard there could be a problem with that a while back when this was first being talked about.

[cowbreath]

The paper mentioned six new bridges to be built this year over scull creek for the trail system. Sounds good!

Six New Trails

[Mith242]

The paper mentioned six new bridges to be built this year over scull creek for the trail system. Sounds good!

Six New Trails

Yeah read that in the paper today. There was also a map. I'll see if I can find something like that online somewhere and post it here. If not then maybe I'll take a pic of the map in the paper to post on here.

[Mith242]

Never could find anything on the internet showing the current progress in a map. So I just took a pic of the map in today's Northwest Arkansas Times. Hopefully you can still make out some detail. I had a hard time trying to show the whole trail but still allow some detail to show up.

[Mith242]

Apparently the section of the Scull Creek Trail from Gregg to Poplar is open. They're working their way southward. There was an article in today's Northwest Arkansas Times mentioning they are doing some trail/creek stabilization. Apparently just south of Sycamore there's been some erosion problems. They'll be putting in 186 tons of limestone, sandstone and vegetation to help stabilize that area. Apparently some more stabilization will need to be done around Appleby as well. A grand opening for the Scull Creek Trail is expected in October. It will extend from the Mudd Creek Trail near Steele and Van Asche and extend down to Maple. I believe the trail will go near Wilson Park but not actually be in it. Not sure when they'll eventually extend the Frisco Trail from Dickson to Maple to connect with it. Something else I forgot to mention a little while back. Sounds like Johnson is trying to set up a trail system themselves and have it connect to Fayetteville's. While most people in Fayetteville may not care if our trail system hooks up with theirs, I do like the idea of eventually having a regional trail system.

[Mith242]

I noticed someone had some rankings out for walkable cities. We weren't high up in the rankings. In fact Little Rock got mentioned rather favorably and is listed as the top city in Arkansas. Little Rock apparently ranks very high in people who walk/job for fitness. Fayetteville got mentioned in Arkansas because of people who walk to work being the best in the state. But we were rather low in the walking/jogging for fitness. Maybe once more of the trail system is set up things will change a bit. Of course one things that has hurt Fayetteville is still the fact there's still many areas that don't have good sidewalks or sidewalks at all. Apparently Fayetteville's park to land ratio wasn't great in compared to a national level but pretty good as fat as the state of Arkansas is concerned. Other NWA cities mentioned was Rogers as having a good walking/jogging for fitness level but also has the highest multiple vehicle per household and very low on public transportation. Springdale was basically listed as the worst city overall in the state out of the top ten cities.

[Snaple4]

Where was this reading from?

[Mith242]

Where was this reading from?

I originally saw it mentioned on MSNBC.com. But the original is based from info from this site.

http://www.prevention.com/bestcities/

[aerotive]

I noticed someone had some rankings out for walkable cities. We weren't high up in the rankings. In fact Little Rock got mentioned rather favorably and is listed as the top city in Arkansas. Little Rock apparently ranks very high in people who walk/job for fitness. Fayetteville got mentioned in Arkansas because of people who walk to work being the best in the state. But we were rather low in the walking/jogging for fitness. Maybe once more of the trail system is set up things will change a bit. Of course one things that has hurt Fayetteville is still the fact there's still many areas that don't have good sidewalks or sidewalks at all. Apparently Fayetteville's park to land ratio wasn't great in compared to a national level but pretty good as fat as the state of Arkansas is concerned. Other NWA cities mentioned was Rogers as having a good walking/jogging for fitness level but also has the highest multiple vehicle per household and very low on public transportation. Springdale was basically listed as the worst city overall in the state out of the top ten cities.

Fayetteville's lack of sidewalks on streets with high pedestrian traffic just baffles me. I live near Oakland, and between Garland and Sycamore there are no sidewalks. That street is lined with apartments and many, many people walk in the area, especially UA students.

I know I've complained about this before, but this is a continuing problem--the city pretty consistently shortchanges nontony parts of town. Oakland has no sidewalks and the city does nothing while AEP destroys views and sidewalks with even uglier and taller power poles along Leverett.

Contrast that with Ozarks Electric burying already existing power lines over around Rolling Hills and Oaks Manor.

At least there's a trail going in nearby.

[Mith242]

Fayetteville's lack of sidewalks on streets with high pedestrian traffic just baffles me. I live near Oakland, and between Garland and Sycamore there are no sidewalks. That street is lined with apartments and many, many people walk in the area, especially UA students.

I know I've complained about this before, but this is a continuing problem--the city pretty consistently shortchanges nontony parts of town. Oakland has no sidewalks and the city does nothing while AEP destroys views and sidewalks with even uglier and taller power poles along Leverett.

Contrast that with Ozarks Electric burying already existing power lines over around Rolling Hills and Oaks Manor.

At least there's a trail going in nearby.

Yeah I see what you're saying. All I can say is at least they're putting in the Scull Creek Trail. But that's still going to be a block or so east of you. And of course that still doesn't mean there needs to be a lot more sidewalks in the city. Seems like I heard more about the city trying to put in new sidewalks in existing areas needing them a year or two ago. But I don't hear as much about it now. I wonder if the budget problems we recently had meant no more sidewalks were being built or if they're just doing it in areas I'm not familiar with.

[Mith242]

I realize the Scull Creek Trail can't be completed till this summer because they have to wait on the road construction on Gregg. But I'm still a little disappointed to see little happening on the more southern end of the trail. They opened that section near Gregg down to Poplar early in the year I believe. I drove down Poplar earlier today and noticed they still don't have anything paved just south of Poplar. Maybe they've paved some segments I haven't been able to see from some of the roads. I guess maybe things are slowing down with the installation of the bridges. I believe several bridges will be put in in the segment south of Poplar.

[cocothief]

I realize the Scull Creek Trail can't be completed till this summer because they have to wait on the road construction on Gregg. But I'm still a little disappointed to see little happening on the more southern end of the trail. They opened that section near Gregg down to Poplar early in the year I believe. I drove down Poplar earlier today and noticed they still don't have anything paved just south of Poplar. Maybe they've paved some segments I haven't been able to see from some of the roads. I guess maybe things are slowing down with the installation of the bridges. I believe several bridges will be put in in the segment south of Poplar.

Im positive the record-setting rains have had something to do with the delays you are seeing. Construction in general; along a creek, worse.

[Mith242]

Im positive the record-setting rains have had something to do with the delays you are seeing. Construction in general; along a creek, worse.

Very true. I don't know why that never occurred to me.

[Mith242]

Sounds like the city is starting to pick up things again and working on some more areas. I hadn't realized this but apparently they still haven't totally gotten all the right of way for the whole Scull Creek Trail. They've gotten more but still lack a few sections. Apparently they are also having to wait on the bridges. They decided not to buy the bridges early have to store them and then move them again to put them in. The company they're buying them from will deliver the first one June 19th and will have one delivered one a week till they have them all. So it's sounding to me that it will be late summer at the earliest before the Scull Creek Trail is complete. Once all of that's done I'm wondering how long it will be before they start trying to connect the Scull Creek Trail south from Maple to Spring so that it connects up with the Frisco Trail.

[Mith242]

Three bridges between Poplar and North should go in. The public is apparently invited to watch as long as they stay out of the way of the construction. Then comes the paving of that area of the trail which should take a month. Sounds like the Grand Opening of the Scull Creek Trail is scheduled right now for October.

[cocothief]

This is great for Fayetteville. I have seen a lot more people walking and biking around this area since the trail started opening piecemeal.

Another great pedestrian improvement is going to be the redeveloped Gregg Avenue portion on the north side. It is being constructed with generous sidewalks on both sides. This really opens up north Fayetteville to pedestrians like never before.

[Mith242]

This is great for Fayetteville. I have seen a lot more people walking and biking around this area since the trail started opening piecemeal.

Another great pedestrian improvement is going to be the redeveloped Gregg Avenue portion on the north side. It is being constructed with generous sidewalks on both sides. This really opens up north Fayetteville to pedestrians like never before.

Yeah, it's certainly nice to see the improvements. I can't wait till everything's finished.

[cocothief]

From NWAnews.com today:

[Mith242]

Thanks for the pic. I drove by Sycamore today and the bridge is pretty much right next to the vehicular bridge. There was traffic behind me so I didn't slow down and get as good of a look as I wanted. I don't think there's room to go underneath the bridge there so I'm guessing the trail will have to cross traffic. I don't think Sycamore gets a huge amount of traffic, but it is a 4 lane road. So far the city has been good about only having the trails cross over on two lane roads.

[zman9810]

One of the aspects of the trails systems that can't be expanded on enough is the ablity to walk or ride a bicyle to avoid paying $4+ a gallon for gas. The more this system is expanded the more it will help the city be a great place to live.