We’ve seen you peering as far as you could through that chain link fence at I-485 on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway! Well, wait no more — the fence is pulled back and you are free to ride (officially) all the way to the James K. Polk Historic site.
Along the 1.8-mile route, you’ll find a little oasis at Marsh Park, a natural wetland with scenic overlooks and benches to rest your legs. Its location just north of Pineville-Matthews Road makes a nice jumping-off point for Carolina Place Parkway, which connects you to The Centrum Shopping Center and Carolina Place Mall.
The new segment brings bicycle riders one link closer to crossing the state line to South Carolina, and also oh-so-close to hooking up to the South Charlotte Connector to the Lower McAlpine, McMullen, and Four Mile Creek greenways. Right now, one more piece of real estate needs to be acquired to connect the Cross Charlotte Trail (XCLT) to the South Charlotte Connector — and on to the additional 5.5 miles of greenways that reach all the way to Rea Road. (It’s just a little further to William R. Davie Park from there, if you’re feeling adventurous!)
“The real estate is a process, and we are evaluating our options to make the final connection,” says Katie Lloyd, a Senior Planner with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department.
There are on-the-street options for getting to Park Road and the South Charlotte Connector from the Polk birthplace, but none are official greenway routes.
The new and long-awaited segment to the Polk Historic Site means only a few more segments remain between NoDa and South Carolina:
* Little Sugar Creek Greenway/XCLT (7th to 10th) (completed by City): 0.5 miles
Projected for completion in late 2021
* Little Sugar Creek Greenway/XCLT (Brandywine to Tyvola) (completed by City): 1.5 miles
Projected for completion in late 2021/early 2022
* Little Sugar Creek Greenway/XCLT (Polk to State Line): 2.9 miles
Projected for completion in mid 2022
Six more segments north of NoDa, currently in the design phase, will eventually reach the Cabarrus County line.
So grab your bike and get rolling! Mecklenburg County’s scenic Little Sugar Creek is beckoning with its natural beauty.
