Connectivity Continues with Greenway Extension

group of people cutting the ribbon at the MCPRD ribbon cutting

It’s official! Mecklenburg County’s Little Sugar Creek Greenway now reaches all the way to the South Carolina State line. Partners for Parks along with other friends and advocates joined Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation representatives for a ribbon cutting earlier this month, celebrating this newest stretch of greenway.

This newest greenway section runs from the President James K. Polk State Historic Site into Lancaster County, South Carolina. The $8 million project includes four pedestrian bridge crossings, five neighborhood connections, and three boardwalk systems, similar to those seen at Torrence Creek and Four Mile Creek Greenways.

“This is truly a legacy project that will provide lasting impact on not just the communities adjacent to it, but also the region as a whole,” said Al Brown, Partners for Parks Treasurer. “These projects showcase Mecklenburg County’s commitment to providing safe, equitable, and connected access to parks and green spaces.”

The Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which is also part of the Carolina Thread Trail and the Cross Charlotte Trail, now runs continuously from Cordelia Park in Charlotte’s Villa Heights neighborhood, all the way to the state line. The section between Brandywine Road in Myers Park and Tyvola Road west of Park Road opened up in late April.

And it’s not just exciting news for walkers, runners, and cyclists looking for car-free places to log some miles. Consider it another real step forward in creating real connectivity throughout Mecklenburg County.

“This new greenway segment adds another three miles to the Cross Charlotte Trail connecting users to many more existing miles of a safe, off street place to walk or ride,” said Shannon Binns, Founder and Executive Director at Sustain Charlotte. “Connectivity and extending existing greenways is critical to creating a network that can be used for transportation as well as recreation.”

The greenway will eventually extended to the University City area connecting with the Mallard Creek greenway. Mecklenburg County has at least seven projects planned which should add nearly 15 miles of additional greenway. Those projects should begin construction within a year.