Renewed greenway trail and a signature pedestrian bridge open in Cary
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cary opened a 285-foot weathered steel pedestrian bridge alongside Cary Parkway.
- Town is rebuilding about 2.5 miles of Black Creek Greenway and widening it to 12 feet.
- Cary is spending $16.5 million to upgrade the Black Creek Greenway, including federal.
Cary has finished overhauling part of its Black Creek Greenway and has opened a new signature pedestrian bridge over the trail alongside Northwest Cary Parkway.
The 285-foot-long bridge helps close a gap in the sidewalk along Cary Parkway near North Cary Park and provides a safe alternative to the narrow parkway bridge, which has no shoulder or room for pedestrians and cyclists.
The bridge is made of weathered steel, with a concrete deck, and is lined with leaf-patterned panels with holes to let in light. It passes about 50 feet above the creek, making it the highest pedestrian bridge in Cary.
The town is rebuilding about 2.5 miles of the greenway trail between Old Dynasty Drive and Lake Crabtree. It’s widening the pavement to 12 feet and realigning the trail in some places to smooth out sharp curves, improve drainage and avoid flood-prone areas.
The work is being done in phases. The first two phases are now finished, between Old Dynasty Drive and Weston Parkway.
The trail is now closed north of Weston Parkway to the parking area at Lake Crabtree and Old Reedy Creek Road. The town expects that part of the trail will reopen sometime this winter.
Altogether, Black Creek Greenway extends 7.1 miles from Old Reedy Creek Road south to Bond Park. There it connects with other trails, including the 7-mile White Oak Greenway that leads west to the American Tobacco Trail into Durham. It’s part of the East Coast Greenway that will eventually stretch from Florida to Maine.
The town is spending $16.5 million to upgrade the Black Creek Greenway, including about $12 million in federal grants.
Another $4.8 million was earmarked for the Cary Parkway sidewalk and pedestrian bridge when voters approved the Shaping Cary’s Tomorrow bond package in 2019. The town later received federal funding distributed through the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization that will cover nearly half of the cost, which totals about $9 million.
