CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Upcoming expansions to the Clarksville Greenway promise to make the city more pedestrian friendly, with the Red River Trail almost finished.
Together, Clarksville’s main Greenway sections, including the downtown Riverwalk, make up 7.5 miles of trail for walking, running and cycling, and a connection between them will make the Greenway an uninterrupted 9 miles long.
In recent years, the City of Clarksville has received a number of grants to improve and extend the Greenway.
Red River Trail open
The Red River Trail was recently completed, adding a 1.5-mile connection to the Greenway.
The trail runs from Providence Boulevard to a point at the bank of the Red River north of Robb Avenue. It includes a new trailhead parking lot off of Kraft Street, and it will eventually feature Blueway access for canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.
Construction of the trail itself is complete, and the trailhead and parking lot will soon open to the public.
Pedestrian bridge to connect Riverwalk to Greenway
The most notable upcoming improvement is a pedestrian bridge connecting the northern and southern segments of the Red River Trail.
In August 2019, the city received a $1.82 million Transportation Alternatives Project grant from TDOT for construction of the bridge. The bridge will follow the path of a railroad bridge that used to span the Red River. While the bridge is gone, its pillars remain on either side.
According to Parks and Recreation spokesman Ryan Sample, the bridge is in the design stage and is projected to open in 2022.
APSU campus gains Greenway access
In February last year, the Austin Peay State University Foundation was awarded nearly $400,000 by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation to connect APSU’s campus to the Greenway.
According to APSU spokesman Bill Persinger, the university has completed construction on its portion. The new path winds uphill from Kraft Street’s bridge to the campus.
The city’s portion of the expansion, referred to as the Kraft Street Spur, is scheduled for a soft opening in the coming weeks, and a larger grand opening in the spring, according to Sample.
