By spring, the Triangle could have its third stretch of greenway longer than 10 miles. To recap:

* In the spring, the 11-mile-long Crabtree Creek greenway was completed, allowing passage along its namesake greenway from Milburnie Road northwest to just short of Duraleigh Road.

* This summer, completion of the greenway segment running along Reedy Creek Road in Raleigh established a 14-mile stretch running from Meredith College, across the Beltline, through the N.C. Museum of Art property, down Reedy Creek, through Umstead State Park onto Cary's Black Creek Greenway, ending at Godbold Park on Maynard Road.

When the weather starts to warm again, a 15-mile stretch of greenway could exist running from the Walnut Creek softball complex along Walnut Creek to near Wilmington Street, where existing greenway shoots north along Rocky Branch, connecting into N.C. State University near Pullen Park. From there, greenway that is nearing completion will run west to Gorman Street.

"We've begun construction of the Walnut Creek Trail," says Vic Lebsock, greenway planner for Raleigh. "It should be completed by spring of next year."

That 1.1-mile stretch will run from Rocky Branch near Wilmington Street to where the existing Walnut Creek Trail, which originates near the softball complex, now ends, near the Red Roof Inn on South Saunders Street.

That entire stretch, from the Walnut Creek softball complex to Gorman Street, would be the longest continuous stretch of greenway in the Triangle. Using sidewalk along Gorman as a connector, walkers and cyclists could connect to the Reedy Creek/Umstead/Black Creek greenway for an overall trip of nearly 30 miles.

House Creek hearing

Another key connection in the Reedy Creek/Umstead/Black Creek greenway is scheduled to get under way next year. But first, a public hearing is planned.

Actually, save for a few minor land deals, the House Creek Greenway is pretty much set.

"There are a few minor adjustments we can make," Lebsock says. "It's like a roadway project," Lebsock says of the hearing. "We hear issues, usually from neighbors who have concerns."

The House Creek Greenway will essentially parallel the Beltline and connect the existing Reedy Creek/Umstead/Black Creek Greenway (at Meredith College) with the Crabtree Creek Greenway (near Crabtree Valley Mall). Thus, that two-mile span will create a way for folks in North Raleigh to ride or walk to Umstead entirely on greenway. The resulting network, including spur trails, would exceed 30 miles.

Lebsock says construction of House Creek should begin by early next summer, with an early-to-mid-2008 opening expected.

A component of the House Creek Greenway should make residents along Ridge Road happy. Shortly after the greenway through Meredith and the N.C. Museum of Art opened, Meredith officials blocked access to the trail from Wade Avenue. Folks living along nearby Ridge Road had to access the trail at Hillsborough and Faircloth streets.

A connector will run down the north side of Wade Avenue, from Ridge Road to the greenway.

The House Creek hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at Highland United Methodist Church, 1901 Ridge Road.