Trails are a very popular recreational amenity in Forsyth County and the county is continually working to maintain and expand the various trail offerings. The following provides an update on several current trail projects in the Forsyth County Parks & Recreation system.

Sharon Springs Park

The trail near the entrance of Sharon Springs Park at 1950 Sharon Road is being rerouted to accommodate for a road widening project on Sharon Road. The rerouting has resulted in a temporary closure of a section of the trail. The project will also include installing new landscaping to add a buffer between the road and the trail. The trail work began this week and is expected to be completed in approximately 90 days. The work is being done by Martin Contractors at a cost of $216,155, funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VI sales tax program.

Chattahoochee Pointe

Work will begin in the coming weeks on the trails at Chattahoochee Pointe, located at 5790 Chattahoochee Pointe Drive. The project will both renovate the current trail and add additional trail length to create a continuous 5k route, something that is beneficial for race events. Also, a new restroom building will be added. The work, being done by Steele Construction, is slated to be completed by December. The cost of $419,000 is funded by the Parks, Recreation and Green Space Bond approved by voters in 2008.

Big Creek Greenway – Union Hill Road Trailhead North

A renovation project on a portion of Phase 1 of the Big Creek Greenway is now expected to take slightly longer than originally anticipated. The project begins at the Union Hill Road trailhead and extends north approximately ½ mile to mile marker 0.4, and this section remains closed while the work is being completed.

“The original length that was being renovated was 200 feet and now we are doing a total of 375 feet,” said Director of Parks & Recreation Jim Pryor. “It was determined that we would soon need to replace additional sections, so the county decided to go ahead and take care of those sections now so the trails’ users would not be impacted by having another closure again so quickly.”

Originally slated for completion by August 31, the target completion date is now September 15. The work is being completed by Atlantic Building Specialties Inc. and funded by the Parks, Recreation and Green Space Bond approved by voters in 2008.

Big Creek Greenway Mile Marker 1.3 – 1.4 Beneath GA 400

Work is underway to add an additional lane in each direction on GA 400 from McFarland Parkway to Highway 369. As part of this work, the bridges on GA 400 will be widened. While the Georgia Department of Transportation’s contractor, C.W. Matthews, completes this work, a section of the Big Creek Greenway which passes beneath one of those bridges is temporarily closed for the safety of those using the trail. The segment, which closed May 31, is between the McFarland Parkway and the Union Hill Road trailheads, from mile marker 1.3 to mile marker 1.4. This section remains on schedule to reopen August 31.

For more information about parks in Forsyth County, visit www.forsythco.com/parks.