Imagine a statewide network of NC greenway trails. Officials want your ideas.
Triangle residents enjoy a growing network of greenway trails that allow people to walk or ride from their neighborhoods to parks, shopping centers or work.
Now the N.C. Department of Transportation is looking to knit these and other greenway trail systems into a statewide network that connects cities, town and state parks.
The Great Trails State Plan aims to identify existing trails and what needs to happen to connect those trails statewide.
To begin, NCDOT is asking people to fill out two surveys that indicate how they use greenway trails and where they would like to see new trails built. Both surveys can be found at www.ncdot.gov/divisions/bike-ped/great-trails-state/, and the deadline for responding is Sept. 30.
The Great Trails State Plan is focused on multi-use trails that people can use for walking and running as well as cycling. Off-road hiking trails, such as the Appalachian Trail, would not be included.
In addition to local greenway networks in the Triangle and elsewhere, two statewide trails are in the works. The East Coast Greenway, which planners hope will one day run from Canada to Florida, will run north-south through the Triangle and the Fayetteville area.
Meanwhile, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will take an indirect 1,200-mile route from Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. Much of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is for hikers only, but there are some sections open to cyclists.
