Remaining Section of South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Dedicated

  • Sunday, June 26, 2022
  • John Shearer

Jimmy and Joyce Hale had ridden their bikes from Camp Jordan and were among those gathered at the Sterchi Farms trailhead as the festivities dedicating a new stretch of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway were beginning Sunday.

 

They were obviously a little tired from exercising on the warm day.

 

“It took us 40 minutes riding really fast,” said Jimmy of the jaunt that covered about seven or eight miles. 

 

But they also had a rejuvenating look and feeling because of the excitement of a new stretch of the greenway opening.

“We’ve waited so long for this,” said Joyce. “The boardwalk is just gorgeous through the woods.”

 

Added Jimmy, “That is what is great about it is that a lot of it is in the shade, so on a really hot day, you can catch your breath."

 

They were among a few dozen people who had gathered at the trailhead by noon, some 90 minutes before official dedicatory and ribbon-cutting ceremonies were to be held featuring Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, who was scheduled to arrive in a canoe.

 

While the Sterchi Farms trailhead has also had some infrastructure and tree removal work done in recent months and had been closed, it is about a mile or so downstream or closer to the Tennessee River than the newer section that has recently opened.

 

But due to the fact the Sterchi Farms trailhead is a little more publicly accessible by automobile and has a pavilion next to an old dairy farm silo, the ceremonies were held there. But the whole link stretching nearly 12 miles from Camp Jordan to the Tennessee Riverwalk by the river was being celebrated, as it is now finally complete with this last section.

 

David Johnson of the Trust for Public Land, which had done land purchasing, building and easement securement work for the greenway that is overseen by the city of Chattanooga, called it a momentous occasion.

 

“It’s a great opportunity to take a breath and to celebrate all the work not only that our team has done, but also the locals,” he said. “We are glad to be able to celebrate and talk about what’s next for our greenways.”

 

A master plan for the South Chickamauga Creek greenway had been developed in 1996, and the first section opened when the city of Chattanooga connected the Brainerd Levee with Camp Jordan through a bridge across the creek in 2001.

 

Sidewalks along Shallowford Road and Caine Lane next to Lakewood Memory Gardens, East, had been completed in the last couple of years, and a section connecting the Faith Road trailhead to the Cromwell Hills housing complex was the final stretch finished recently.

 

Mr. Johnson called it the most difficult stretch due to the steepness of the bank along South Chickamauga Creek, which necessitated the construction of an elevated boardwalk along much of the section.

 

“That was challenging to build,” he said. “It was challenging because of the topography, infrastructure and natural features.”

 

Another eye-pleasing stretch of the new greenway path is a large hill across from the housing complex. Mr. Johnson said that is privately owned and might one day be developed after a residence was cleared from the site, but that the owner provided an easement through the edge of it.

 

But on Sunday, as various family activities and even musical entertainment were provided, the celebration of what was already saved and now open for use by the public was being cheered.

 

Joyce Hale thinks the completed stretch that now better links large parts of town might even help with people wanting to use alternative transportation more.

 

“We need more mileage off the streets to have safety, and riding is huge,” she said.

 

* * *

 

Jcshearer2@comcast.net

Happenings
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
  • 3/28/2024

The Lightfoot Club of Chattanooga and the Mountain City Club of Chattanooga will begin the 2024 season of vintage base ball (yep, two words) on the historic 6th Calvary polo field (6 Barnhardt ... more

4 Bridges Arts Festival Returns April 20-21
  • 3/28/2024

The Association for Visual Arts will present the 24th Annual 4 Bridges Arts Festival at the First Horizon Pavilion on the southside of downtown Chattanooga this April. The festival will take ... more

Volunteers Needed for American Battlefield Trust Park Day
  • 3/28/2024

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is seeking volunteers for American Battlefield Trust Park Day. Sign-up will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the intersection of Woodland ... more