In good news for walkers, a new segment of the area's greenways officially opened this week in the University City area.
It's called the Ruth G. Shaw Trail on Toby Creek Greenway. It connects UNC Charlotte with the Mallard-Clark Creek Greenway, a 7.1 mile paved and gravel trail.
It was a joint project with the Catawba Lands Conservancy and the Carolina Thread Trail, which is a branch of the conservancy, and was made possible by a stimulus fund grant.
From the press release:
The new trail is named in honor of Dr. Ruth G. Shaw, a longtime civic and business leader who is the founding chair of the governing board of the Carolina Thread Trail, an interconnected trail system in Piedmont North and South Carolina.Under Dr. Shaws leadership, nine of the Threads 15 counties have adopted countywide master plans for a total of 1,000 planned trail miles. About 67 miles of trail have opened, and $1,568,002 has been awarded in catalytic grants from the Thread to community partners who are advancing the project throughout the region.
The ceremony will feature brief remarks from Dr. Shaw as well as other distinguished guests.
Toby Creek Greenway was funded by a $1.25 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The greenway stretches two miles and links many neighborhoods in the university area to the UNC Charlotte campus, allowing many students, faculty, and staff to walk or ride bikes to the university. Neighborhoods which adjoin this greenway system include Fairlea, Wellington, Winchester, Mallard Ridge, Radbourne, Colvard Park, Mallard Trace, Brookstone, and the University Research Park.
Learn more about our area's extensive web of urban greenways on Mecklenburg County's Parks and Recreation website.