Overview
The Swannanoa River Greenway Corridor was prioritized as the City’s number one priority greenway in the GAP Plan. The corridor starts at the intersection of Lyman Street and Amboy Road and ends at the city limits located at Azalea Road and Tunnel Road. At seven and a half miles in length, the project will be broken into phases rather than completed simultaneously.
This video provides a more detailed explanation of Swannanoa River Greenway Project.
Happening Now
The City of Asheville’s Transportation Bond project will begin construction of the first phase of the Swannanoa River Greenway. It will begin at Glendale Rd and Thompson Street intersection and will be an off-road greenway, a little over one mile in length ending at the WalMart on Bleachery Avenue. Construction will begin this year, 2024, and it is estimated to take 12 months to finish.
Background
In 2018, The City of Asheville conducted two studies on different segments of the Swannanoa River Greenway.
Swannanoa River Greenway Phase 1 was a feasibility study and greenway corridor design on the eastern of the greenway from the eastern end of Thompson Street and Glendale Avenue, to the City of Asheville’s park complex with the Nature Center, the Recreation Park and the JB Lewis Soccer Fields.
Swannanoa River Greenway Phase 2 was a corridor study, funded through the NCDOTs Bike and Pedestrian Mini-Grant Program for the section of the greenway that starts at Biltmore Avenue and ends at the end of Thompson Street at Glendale Ave. This was a planning study that did not include engineering and design in the scope of work.
Supporting Documents
The City of Asheville Close the GAP Plan
The City of Asheville 2013 Greenway Master Plan
The Buncombe County Greenway Master Plan
The Hellbender Regional Trail Plan
Timeline
October 2020 – Base work
December 2020 – 30% Design
June 2021 – Hydraulic Design
August 2021 – 65% Design
September 2021 – Public Meeting
November 2021 – 90% Design
June 2023 – 100% Construction Documents
Summer 2023 – Construction Bidding
TBD 2024 – Anticipated construction start for first phase
Contact Information
Lucy Crown, Greenway Planner
Jade Dundas, Capital Project Director