PATH Update

PATH began building Phase 1 of the South Peachtree Creek trail on April 7th which will cross Peachtree creek by way of a bridge and connect Medlock Park to Mason Mill Park via a combination boardwalk and concrete trail. According to commissioner Jeff Rader, this trail is not only for recreation; it is to provide connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Phase one begins at Medlock Park and ends at the stone bridge over Burnt Fork Creek and is estimated to take three months.

The total length of the trail is 3/4 mile, of that, 55% will be cement and 45% will be boardwalk.  The trail will begin at the west end of the parking lot at Medlock Park on Scott Circle, go behind the ballfields at the west end of the park, hop 
a drainage ditch and then cross the marshy lot at the corner of Willivee and Scott Circle, to the bridge at Willivee.  Some of that will be boardwalk and some cement.

A section of the internal Medlock Park parking lot will be removed so there is no net increase of impermeable surface due to trail construction.

The trail will then cross the creek in one single span, without touching the creek, and continue as boardwalk to the sewer easement in Mason Mill Park, where there will be a second bridge that crosses the sewer easement.  The cement path begins beyond the sewer easement and goes to the stone bridge.

The majority of all clearing for the trail has taken place and a concrete portion of the path has been laid from the stone bridge in Mason Mill Park to the sewer cut.

An oversight committee was formed by Commissioner Jeff Rader and includes members of CHCA, MANA and the Medlock Floodplain Coalition.  This committee has been monitoring the project very carefully, walking the route at least weekly and communicating with PATH and the county almost on a daily basis about problem areas and issues to address, including soil stabilization, run-off, avoiding native vegetation and trees that are too large to move or transplant, and protection of tree roots, just to name a few.

The committee has also taken photos and rescued native plants that were in the trail route.

For its part, the PATH foundation and their contractors have been quite receptive to changing the layout of the trail to accommodate the oversight committee's requests.

Phase two of the project would connect the stone bridge to McConnell Drive via a tunnel under the railroad tracks. The county and the PATH Foundation have received approval from CSX to prepare engineering plans for the tunnel to submit to CSX for final approval.  However, this section is many years and meetings away.

PATH will have responsibility for maintenance of the trail into the future.

Without question, the CHCA website is the most comprehensive source of information about the trail and its construction; it includes an interactive map of the trail, a history of this project, the latest trail updates and pictures. 

I can take a couple of questions