Hendersonville residents will soon have another walking and biking option as
city leaders recently broke ground on a new greenway along the shores of Old
Hickory Lake.
More than a decade in the works, the Sanders Ferry Greenway is probably one
of the city’s most anticipated projects Mayor Jamie Clary told more than a
dozen officials who gathered at Mallard Point Park on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
The $5.5 million project will add an approximately 1.2-mile multi-purpose
walking path along the lake beginning at Main Street
and Sanders Ferry Road.
The mix of concrete trail and boardwalks will extend to Mallard
Point Park.
From there, a roughly three-mile bike trail (with pavement markings and signs
only) will move over to Hickory Heights,
run down Lakeside Park Drive
to Curtis Crossroads, and end at Sanders
Ferry Park.
The new greenway will connect with existing greenways at Memorial Park and
Drake’s Creek Park
via a sidewalk path along the Main Street
bridge.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Clary thanked several people who made
the project possible over the years including greenway proponent Tom Evans,
Public Works Director Sarah Lock who oversees the project, city aldermen who
voted to fund the project, and Capital Projects Committee Chairman Eddie
Roberson.
“Hendersonville is known for
[being] a great place to live, work and play and this greenway is part of that
vision,” said Roberson. “I think it is an indication of the progress the city
is making.”
The project dates back to 2011 when city leaders voted to accept $1.2
million in federal funds and provide a 20 percent match for the multi-purpose
trail. The project was delayed several years for various reasons, but most
recently when construction bids came back higher than expected.
The project is projected to cost $5.5 million with the city’s share at
around $1.1 million.
Clary said the investment in the older part of Hendersonville
has been a long time coming.
“For a long time, the city spent most of our investment outside of this area
and it was time to come back and do this,” he said. Clary added that several
area restaurants will likely benefit from the addition.
Adams Contracting was awarded the bid for the project that will include
three floating boardwalks.
“The one thing that makes this trail unique is you’ve got close to 1,200 feet that is actually going
to be out on the water or on the water’s edge - so that’s unique in and of
itself and a little different than what you see on a lot of these greenways,”
noted Senior Project Manager Tracy Barrett.