2020 was a busy year for construction with work continuing on the Murrow Boulevard section running from Gate City Boulevard north and then west to Fisher Avenue and Greene Street. Work is almost complete with some final landscaping, site furnishings, and signage to be finished. An assessment is ongoing of the recent repaving of Murrow Boulevard – so you may see cones on the roadway for a bit longer. The bridges along Fisher Avenue that go over the railroad tracks and Church Street are in need of repair and that work will take place in 2021. The trail will be open and a safe route provided during that construction. This whole section is a dramatic change from a 6-lane divided highway unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists with no landscaping to what you see today – a roadway suitable for vehicular traffic, a 12 foot wide greenway with enhanced landscaping and lots of trees, and a protected bike lane for southbound traffic.
The Downtown Greenway is another step closer after City Council approved an agreement with NC Department of Transportation for construction of Phase 4 and the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway Phase 1. Eighty percent of the $3.4 million project will come from federal funds with a 20 percent local match, using funds from the 2016 Parks and Recreation Bond and Transportation Bond accounts. The former railroad corridor on the west side will go out to bid in summer 2021 with an anticipated fall start date. This section should be complete in 2023 and will not only close the four-mile loop of the Downtown Greenway and complete it, but will also build the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway north to Benjamin Parkway.
Artist Radcliffe Bailey was selected in early 2020 to design and fabricate the last of the 4 cornerstones – Freedom at the intersection of Murrow and Gate City Boulevards (click here for more info on Radcliffe Bailey). We anticipate construction to begin in fall 2021.
Removal of railroad tracks along the railroad corridor along Phase 4:
Completed greenway trail along the eastern section from Gate City Blvd to Fisher to Greene Street along Murrow Blvd:
A renovation of LoFi Park at the corner of Smith and Eugene Streets was completed in the spring and the new design by David Mudd and Justin Vettel, Permaculture Gardeners includes berms with boulders and new trees, and a rain garden in addition to an open lawn space. The grass is greener than it ever has been before with the addition of astroturf.
Click here for map of Open Sections.
The weather is getting warmer.... which means it is time for FREE Fitness on the Downtown Greenway!
We are partnering with Bryan YMCA for the 5th year to provide great instructors and classes for FREE on the Downtown Greenway.
Classes start on May 2 and run every Tuesday from 6:00 -7:00 pm May-June and August-October at Morehead Park Trailhead Parking Area (475 Spring Garden Street). No classes in July due to heat and vacations-- stay cool!
Click here for a complete list of classes and instructors.
Stop by Morehead Foundry located beside the Morehead Park trailhead parking area for a sweet treat or dinner after your class!
Founded in 1991 and located in downtown Greensboro since 1995, Boulton Creative takes great pride in being a woman-owned, Greensboro-based agency. At Boulton Creative, we specialize in helping our clients achieve their communication goals through creative, impactful design and messaging. From complete branding and strategic marketing plans to brochures, ad campaigns and web development, Boulton Creative delivers exceptional service and design to clients in the Triad and across the United States.
In 2007, we moved into our building on the corner of Smith and Spring Streets, and we are excited that the Greenway will run directly beside our building. Over the past ten years we have enjoyed watching the Greenway become a reality and how it has helped increase foot traffic by our building - our dogs seem to enjoy this too. The Greenway has become a foundation for growth. The energy it has brought to downtown Greensboro has been contagious, and that's apparent in all the new projects that are taking shape downtown currently. We are proud to be a part of this project, and we look forward to the continued excitement the Greenway will bring to businesses and residents downtown and throughout our community.
Over the years the City of Greensboro Department of Water Resources has been extremely responsive to stormwater issues adjacent and on the Downtown Greenway. Stormwater Department Manager David Phelgar has been a member of the Downtown Greenway Oversight Committee since 2010 and has been a bike lead for the Run 4 the Greenway several times. We worked with David and his team to install the first stormwater tree wells on the section of the Downtown Greenway along Smith Street in 2013. Read more about the tree wells here. Special thanks to Virginia Spillman and Jeremy McCall with Water Resources for serving on the Technical Team over the years. We are very appreciative of the great partnership we have with Water Resources and Stormwater Management- thank you for helping keep the 'green' in Downtown Greenway!
David Phlegar, Water Resources
A public meeting will be held at New Zion Baptist Church located at 408 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on August 22 from 4:30-6:00 pm. Design plans for the section of the Downtown Greenway from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Gate City Blvd will be available for review and comments.
Questions? Contact Eric Tart at eric.tart@greensboro-nc.gov.
Mike Simpson, Matti Carey, & David Andrews
The City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department has been instrumental in keeping the 'green' in the Downtown Greenway since the first section opened in March 2010 with the opening of Five Points between South Eugene and Freeman Mill Road. From spreading mulch, watering, replacing plants, mowing, pruning, the Parks & Recreation Staff, supervised by Mike Simpson and David Andrews who leads the crew that is responsible for maintenance, have made the Downtown Greenway a priority. They have also assisted and included the Downtown Greenway with many events over the past years-special thanks to Matti Carey for her dedication to all Greensboro trails and the Downtown Greenway. This is a partnership we are very grateful for and could not do without! Thank you to all the Parks & Recreation staff for their dedication and service.
Ground Here neighborhood art bench was dedicated in its new home at the newly finished The Salvation Army Royce and Jane Reynolds Center for Worship and Service and Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday, May 23. The Salvation Army has operated in Greensboro since 1904. They have had several different locations, though never further than a mile or so from downtown Greensboro. In September 2016, they located their Worship Center and Boys & Girls Club in the new facility adjacent to the Southeastern Greenway located just south of the Downtown Greenway. The connection with the Warnersville Neighborhood and the Downtown Greenway is enhanced with the addition of Grounded Here to the Salvation Army’s campus.
Grounded Here is located at the Salvation Army & Boys Club located at 1001 Freeman Mill Road at in the grassy area to the side of the building near the Southeastern Greenway. We hope you will stop by and see the artwork in it's new location. Click here to read remarks from the dedication by Barbara Peck, Downtown Greenway Public Art Consultant.
Nick Johnson, local stonemason, Juan Logan, artist of Grounded Here, and James Griffin, Warnersville Resident and Member of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Board
The Downtown Greenway, Greensboro Downtown Parks, Folk Festival & City of Greensboro has collaborated on the 2017 Urban Parks Booklet. The booklet lists many of the free things to do in downtown Greensboro and around town this spring, summer and fall that includes fitness, music, and the arts. Click here to download the on-line version. If you would like a hard copy of the booklet, you can find them at most downtown businesses, LeBauer Park, Center City Park, Chamber of Commerce (111 February One Place) and Downtown Greensboro Inc (536 South Elm Street). Or email Laura Lorenz llorenz@actiongreensboro.org for a copy.
Members of the Triad Chapter of the NC Native Plant Society came out on March 25 to get the Bird, Bee, Butterfly Garden at Woven Works Park ready for spring by pulling weeds. They have another work day set for Saturday, April 15. Special thanks to these volunteers: John Bartlett, Laurette Guay, Diane Laslie, Elizabeth Link, Deborah Staves, Lynda Waldrop, and Judy West.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email Dabney Sanders at dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.
THE PREYER FAMILY
Greensboro natives, Calder and Nicole Preyer, Britt Preyer, Jr., and Will Preyer opened Preyer Brewing Company in downtown Greensboro in May 2015. The Preyer Family comes from a line of many successful business owners in Greensboro over the past century and Preyer Brewing Company adds to that success. Calder has years of experience in the craft beer industry and a degree from Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. Nicole is behind the scenes handling the communications and business administration for the brewery. Will has the art expertise in the family and manages the businesses graphics and web design. Britt, Jr. is sales manager for Eastern NC accounts. Together they have helped make this section of downtown a regular destination for many Greensboro residents.
"Truthfully, we aren't entirely sure how to explain why we chose to open Preyer Brewing on the Greenway. I think our cynical side would say that from a business perspective, it made good sense, since pedestrian paths bring customers, increased profit, and more to their areas. But it means so much more to us - it feels like being a part of keeping Greensboro, well, green. Our parks, paths, and trails are a huge part of Greensboro's character. Our city gets a bad rap for being boring, but we disagree - sure, Greensboro isn't for everyone, but it is for the people who want to get outdoors, even in an urban environment. It is for people who value the solitude you can find on an early morning hike on the watershed trails. It is for people who are seeking an urban city, and all the amenities that brings, but with a strong nod to the rural and the wild. The Greenway is about building community, in line with Greensboro's outdoorsy character, and we just had to be a part of that. As business owners born and raised in Greensboro, it's in us, and we couldn't not bring that to the bar at Preyer Brewing." Nicole Preyer, Preyer Brewing Company
