Trail plans keep moving along
Plans for construction of the Barren Fork Greenway are under way after engineers returned to McMinnville Wednesday and presented preliminary plans to city officials.
The 1/2-to-3/4-mile long trail, located between Riverfront and Pepper Branch parks, is to have three trailheads, four boardwalks located within low-lying areas of the trail itself and two overlooks. Costs of the trail and new sidewalk construction are expected to total about $549,000, with the city matching a state grant for $439,000 with about $110,000 in local funds.
Parks and Recreation Director Carlene Brown expects construction to begin in July, and city officials have discussed a time to invite state leaders and the governor to attend a ground-breaking ceremony.
Brown reported the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which conducted environmental assessments, gave the city authorization to proceed last week. The Tennessee Department of Transportation coordinator has yet to grant more approval, but officials hoped to have that authorization soon, she added.
Wednesday, Lee Davidson, a project manager with Lose and Associates of Nashville who were hired in February, came to McMinnville to review construction documents with local officials. Brown said she hoped construction documents would be complete in early June and bids would be accepted in July, and hoped construction could begin shortly thereafter.
A component of the greenway included in the grant funds provides for the development and repairs of several sidewalks that ultimately connect differing areas of town to the greenway.
At Riverfront Park, a sidewalk goes down the left-hand side of the park entrance to the trailhead, which will be located near the upper left side parking lot. That walkway connects to West Main Street. From Main, the sidewalk path will turn right onto High Street, with some sidewalk repairs performed on High.
The sidewalk path connects off High Street to a new perpendicular sidewalk on George Hudgins Drive that leads to McMinnville Residential Care Center trailhead on Highland Drive. The sidewalk continues on High Street, turns right onto Chancery Street, crosses the Frank G. Clement Bridge and continues down Old Morrison Road to Muncey Street.
Another trailhead is planned for Cemetery Street, where a path goes under the Chancery Street overpass just before the Clement bridge and connects to the greenway near the railroad and old power plant.
The actual greenway trail begins at Riverfront Park and ends near the Cemetery Street trailhead and will be about a 1/2-mile long.
But including starting at the Riverfront Park trailhead, using the trail to get to Chancery street and crossing over Clement bridge, as well as rounding the corner toward Old Morrison Road near Pepper Branch, the trail and that portion of the sidewalks would be about 3/4-mile long.