Category: Phase Progress

Groundbreaking for Freedom Cornerstone

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Work has started on the Freedom Cornerstone site, located on the southeast corner of the greenway at Gate City Blvd. and Murrow Blvd. The site will be transformed into the fourth and final cornerstone of the greenway project, which focuses on the theme of Freedom - an integral part of Greensboro's history and future. Internationally renowned artist, Radcliffe Bailey, was selected to commission this major piece of public art. His design includes many components that are rich in symbolism and historical significance, including references to Middle Passage, the Underground Railroad, West African culture, and the experience of enslaved people in the southern US. The art will also incorporate elements of poetry, music, and sound. Read more about the Freedom Cornerstone and Radcliffe Bailey's design here.

Opening Celebration of Cairn’s Course at Westwoods

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May 22 marked the official opening of Thomas Sayre's piece called Cairn's Course at WestWoods along the railroad corridor on the western side of the Downtown Greenway. We also celebrated the soon to start construction of the final 1 mile of the 4 mile loop of the Downtown Greenway that will start later this year.  If you were unable to attend, click here to watch the Facebook Live event. Read recent article about the project by Dawn Kane in the News & Record.  

Update on design and construction

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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.  

Work continues on the West Woods site

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Works continues on the West Woods site along the railroad corridor on the Downtown Greenway! This monumental earthcasting is unlike anything else along the Downtown Greenway or in Greensboro.  Three “cairns” of stacked concrete “stones” that were dug from the earth nearby will serve as a beacon to this former industrial site that is adjacent to Greensboro College’s Theatre Arts Campus at 501 Guilford Avenue. Watch the video from work on the site.  Click here to read Dawn Kane's article in the News & Record.    

Work is complete on Morehead Park Bridge Supports called ‘Bridging the Gap’

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Re-painting of the bridge supports at Morehead Park is complete! Local artist Darlene McClinton and team have added new life to the bridge supports and named it Bridging the Gap. Click here to read News & Record article by Dawn Kane. Watch the Live for 45 Session on December 9 at noon with Darlene and part of her creative team on their experience: Jennifer Meanley-UNCG Art Professor/MFA program, Neidy Perdomo- Local Graphic Designer, James Raleigh - Local Artist.    

Call to Artists issued for next 3 art projects on Downtown Greenway

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 A call to artists have been issued for the next three art projects on the Downtown Greenway. We are commissioning 9 benches to be created by North Carolina artists and recognizing neighborhood connections along the Downtown Greenway.  Each artist will be assigned a location and will work with the appropriate neighborhood to determine the character of that neighborhood and use that for inspiration in the design. CALL TO ARTISTS: A call to artist has been issued for the next 2 neighborhood benches on the Downtown Greenway.  Click here for the call to artist for the Dunleath Neighborhood Artists Bench.  Click here for the call to artist for the East Market Street Neighborhood Artists Bench. The deadline for both submissions is January 8, 2021.  There are several special features that have been commissioned to either mark an area of historical significance or to take advantage of a particular opportunity. CALL TO ARTISTS: A call to artist has been issued for the Summit Avenue Bridge Art Project. Click here for the call to artist.  The deadline for submission is January 11, 2021.

Virtual Downtown Greenway Golf Cart Tours

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Want to check out the Downtown Greenway on a virtual golf cart tour? Project Manager Dabney Sanders takes you on two golf cart tours of the Downtown Greenway.  The first tour is of the open sections that you can explore now on foot or bike. Find out the history behind some of the pieces of public art, the innovative efforts to go green, and some of the economic growth that has developed along the Downtown Greenway. The second golf cart tour is of the sections under construction and along the railtrail on the Downtown Greenway that will soon be under construction. And a SPECIAL sneak peek of artist Thomas Sayre's fascinating work on the West Woods art project on Phase 4. Click here to take the golf cart tour of the open sections. Click here to take the golf cart tour of the sections under construction and along the railroad corridor.

Work on West Woods Project Moving Foward

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Artist Thomas Sayre is working hard on fabricating pieces for the West Woods Project along the railroad corridor on the Downtown Greenway. These wire structures will be placed inside the dug holes before the iodized concrete is poured in. And the round terrazzo stone with a stainless steel bug inlay will be placed within the concrete spiral walkway that leads to the cairn structures. We anticipate that Thomas will start installation the first of October, weather dependent, with completion of the project in November. In case you missed the article by Dawn Kane in the News & Record on Thursday, click here.    

Thomas Sayre proposal for West Woods on Phase 4

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Artist Thomas Sayre from Raleigh presented his proposal at an on-line Public Meeting on May 5 for the West Woods Project to be installed on Phase 4 along the rail-line on the Downtown Greenway.  Installation anticipated in early 2021.  Read the story in the News & Record by reported Dawn Kane. Did you miss the on-line Public Meeting on May 5?  You can watch it here and view his proposal here.  If you have any comments or suggestions about the plans, please email Laura Lorenz at llorenz@actiongreensboro.org.