The Friends of the Greenway celebrated the completion of the long-awaited connector on the Little Tennessee River Greenway with a small rally held on Saturday morning.
While it’s been in discussion for years, the connector project made a strong final push in early 2021 when FROG ramped up operations again as the COVID-19 pandemic began to dwindle. The project cost $82,402 and was paid for mostly by the NCDOT, but contributions from the Town of Franklin and the Macon County Board of Commissioners put it over the top. Penland Contracting completed construction several weeks ago and FROG members were delighted with how it turned out.
“It exceeds all of our expectations,” said Jim Clink of FROG.
The connector runs from the north stretch of the greenway under the town bridge and up to FROG Headquarters, where patrons can cross the bridge and continue to the south end of the trail. While it doesn’t take up much space, the connector is a game changer for many regulars to the greenway. Angelo Arduengo, a cyclist who frequents the trail, said trying to cross four lanes of traffic to get between ends of the greenway is “like playing Frogger” and that having the connector makes things much safer and more convenient.
“We rode it last night around dark and it was like a ride at Disney World,” Arduengo said.
The pandemic was a reminder of the importance of the greenway to Franklin. It was one of the few places that people could go for a good time when many entertainment venues were shut down due to mass gathering restrictions, so it was common to see more people than ever along the trail on a mild night last summer. For those who have gotten the most out of the greenway for years, they’re always encouraged to see it take another leap forward.
“I remember when I used to run cross country out here and it just ended in a bunch of dirt,” Jenny Smith said of the greenway. “It’s really coming along now.”
Town Council member David Culpepper, a liaison to FROG, says it’s taken a lot of time and effort to get the connector built, but it was worth it to see such a major improvement in the way residents can experience it. He also expressed his gratitude to the town, the county and all of the public officials who agreed that the greenway was an asset that needed to be prioritized.
“This has been a long time in the making,” Culpepper said. “Luckily, folks higher up than me saw the value in it.”
For more information on the greenway and programs planned by the Friends of the Greenway, visit FROG Headquarters at 573 East Main Street or call them at (828) 369-8488.