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Charlotte Greenway Trails

CharlotteDave

By CharlotteDave
in Charlotte

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15895 City

15895

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I hope this isn't off topic but the past year I had fallen in love with the greenways and parks in Meck.

I haven't been on many. Little Sugar Creek, Jetton Park, Reedy Creek, the greenway behind Birkdale village, White Water Center and I'm gonna check out Ramsey Creek and North Mecklenburg District Park that Seemingly has 7 or so miles of trails.

I went to the Duke power station that's open to the public and they had a map of greenways and parks and I was wondering if you guys have some favorites that I should check out next anywhere in Meck. I loveee Jetton Park and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't been to Jetton to check it out :)

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ah59396 Town

ah59396

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Has the city ever discussed a greenway connecting out to the whitewater center? I feel like it's a no brainer. Run a solid line due west from either Wesley heights or off the rail trail. Itd be amazing to bike or run to the WWC. It's just a shame to have this great, "active" resource with the only option being to drive.

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kermit Metropolitan Area

kermit

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^ it might be an easy addition to the network. The state owns the P&N right of way that runs from BoA stadium (Cedar st) to the Catawba (about 2 miles north of the WWC). Near the Mt. Holly Catawba crossing (and a potential thread trail connection) the WWC extension could run south along either the utility ROW, Long Creek or the banks of the Catawba (not sure about land ownership issues here) to get to the WWC.

Extending the trail along both sides of the riverfront would be a huge boon for the area, and their are some tentative steps to do this on the Gaston side, your WWC trail would really help that process.

Having said that, I don't know how wide the P&N easement is, the tracks do have some value for future transit and CSX currently leases some of them for slowwwww local freight so the existing tracks can't really just disappear.

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  • 10 months later...
dcharlotte Whistle-Stop

dcharlotte

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It is a shame the city didn't really open up the trail. It would have been a nice corridor alternative for South Blvd for creating a unique retail destination within the neighborhood. Those photos just show how sterile, open, and boring the walk and ride can be while dodging from one side to the other through narrow paths and poorly signaled intersections. 

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Guest

Guest

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It is a shame the city didn't really open up the trail. It would have been a nice corridor alternative for South Blvd for creating a unique retail destination within the neighborhood. Those photos just show how sterile, open, and boring the walk and ride can be while dodging from one side to the other through narrow paths and poorly signaled intersections. 

 

That is an excellent point. I've noticed how virtually all development close to the trail (within 300 yards) is basically either roads or parking lots. Few buildings are close and few buildings are trying to 'connect'. I'm sure it will evolve over time and developers and homeowners will start gearing improvements around the trail.

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kermit Metropolitan Area

kermit

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^ agreed. The lack of actualy connectivity between the trail and surrounding businesses is appaling. I am tired of walking over well-troddened mulched hills to go from the E-W station area to DnD, Liberty, etc. the access to the office deport from the trail is also silly.

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Guest

Guest

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^ agreed. The lack of actualy connectivity between the trail and surrounding businesses is appaling. I am tired of walking over well-troddened mulched hills to go from the E-W station area to DnD, Liberty, etc. the access to the office deport from the trail is also silly.

Give it time boys and girls, give it time. The plan is to have it all engage the rail trail, but money for things like this doesn't exactly grow on trees. If you really want to complain, complain about the new businesses that do not predate the trail. Businesses like sycamore, that basically promised to put a beer garden facing the Rail Trail. In case you didn't know... this didn't happen... at all...

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nonillogical Burg

nonillogical

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Businesses like sycamore, that basically promised to put a beer garden facing the Rail Trail. In case you didn't know... this didn't happen... at all...

To be fair, I think they will be expanding and something like that will happen eventually. Don't blame them for starting out by building out patio space directly adjacent to their building and using the back lot towards the rail trail for cornhole, ping pong and food trucks for now. Its a TON of space to build out. A couple weeks ago I saw the owners and what looked to be some architects and contractors out on the rail trail checking out the outskirts of their property and it looked like some brainstorming was going on. They are required to upgrade the trail and fencing next to the lightrail line soon as our building did, going from black asphalt to sidewalk concrete and replacing the chainlink with the dark green permanent fencing. 

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Bikeguy Hamlet

Bikeguy

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From Mecklenburg Park & Recreation:                                    Please Join Us for the

Wesley Heights Greenway Opening

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

10am


This project is a partnership with NCDOT Rail and the

Bicycle and Pedestrian Divisions
The Wesley Heights Greenway will extend from Cedar Street through Cedar Yards, connect to the existing Irwin Creek and Wesley Heights Greenways and will terminate at Bruns Avenue

in the Wesley Heights Neighborhood. 
The Greenway will connect Seversville and Frazier Parks with improved pedestrian and bicycle circulation to Uptown Charlotte.

 

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TarHeelCLT Crossroads

TarHeelCLT

Posted
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If you really want to complain, complain about the new businesses that do not predate the trail. Businesses like sycamore, that basically promised to put a beer garden facing the Rail Trail. In case you didn't know... this didn't happen... at all...

 

If we're going to complain about sycamore brewing then this board is really reaching for things to beotch about.  In the span of a year a couple has turned a empty and dilapidated garage into a booming beer garden that is accessible by foot, constantly packed, and has extended the entertainment options of the neighborhood by another few hundred yards.  Yet people complaining that the picnic tables are 30 yards too far from the trail (even though on any night of the week the crowds/cornhole spill all the way to the trail fence).

 

I get that it's trendy to hate on southend right now because the buildings are the similar colors, but this is getting eyeroll worthy.

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videtur quam contuor Town

videtur quam contuor

Posted
Posted

From Mecklenburg Park & Recreation:                                    Please Join Us for the

Wesley Heights Greenway Opening

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

10am

This project is a partnership with NCDOT Rail and the

Bicycle and Pedestrian Divisions

The Wesley Heights Greenway will extend from Cedar Street through Cedar Yards, connect to the existing Irwin Creek and Wesley Heights Greenways and will terminate at Bruns Avenue

in the Wesley Heights Neighborhood. 

The Greenway will connect Seversville and Frazier Parks with improved pedestrian and bicycle circulation to Uptown Charlotte.

 

Is this the same trail I have walked since several years ago? What is the "opening"?

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kermit Metropolitan Area

kermit

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^ I think just the Cedar Yards portion of the trail. When I last checked it did not apear they were working on the old rail bridge across Irwin Creek (which would make the connection to uptown much easier)

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Bikeguy Hamlet

Bikeguy

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It's a very nice connection.  It will enable "almost" direct access to the BofA & Knight stadiums, save for a serpentine concrete pathway just beside the Panther stadium.  This could certainly be improved, and I hope the Panthers do it.  Nevertheless it is a much more direct, protected, and enjoyable bike/ped connector to Third Ward. 

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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Is this the same trail I have walked since several years ago? What is the "opening"?

The old trail was gravel over top of the historic railroad tracks.   They are both re-exposing the track and paving a trail out into Wesley Heights.    I know when I last went through there, it was under construction out past Lela Ave, so it is not only the 3rd Ward connection.  

 

They long had a trail/sidewalk through Cedar Yards, but frustratingly deadended with a fence as it got closer to the Irwin Greenway  (Irwin Creek Greenway is a tongue twister so I have switched to that for my sanity) / Frazier Park.  I will bike it today, but it sounds like they opened that and a paved the trail that was gravel along the railroad corridor. 

 

 

Now they just need to open the frucking gate between Irwin Greenway and Elmwood Cemetery behind Ray's Splash Planet.   It is the most frustrating thing to have a sidewalk to a gate that is permanently welded shut and grown over.   

 

Here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2389979,-80.8520227,38m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

 

http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Greenways/PlannedGreenways/Pages/WesleyHeightsGreenway.aspx

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