Reedy River Greenway: From Vision To Reality

     The development of a greenway along the Reedy River has long been a vision and dream of Upstate Forever and many others in Greenville County. With the recent opening of Lake Conestee Nature Park and the construction of the first 1.5 miles of the “Swamp Rabbit rail-trail,” the envisioned Reedy River Greenway is beginning to take shape.

The Reedy River Greenway, shown from Lake Conestee Nature Park...

As currently planned, the Reedy River Greenway will run along the Reedy River all the way from Lake Conestee Nature Park to Duncan Chapel Road near Furman. From there, it follows an old rail line through the Furman campus and then to Travelers Rest. Though different segments of the greenway will be owned and managed by different entities, including the Conestee Foundation, the City of Greenville and the Greenville County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC), Upstate Forever’s goal is to help all of these owners work together to create a unified vision and a seamless set of plans for the greenway as a whole.

Take a Ride on the Swamp Rabbit

Probably the most exciting component of the overall greenway effort is the re-development of the Swamp Rabbit rail line into a rail-trail project. This project finally became a reality in April when the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in Washington rejected the efforts of a private railroad company to take over the rail line and restore commercial freight service. Upstate Forever retained counsel and actively participated in the STB proceedings, strongly opposing the private company’s efforts. Shortly after this ruling, the GCEDC approved removing the tracks and ties and building a trail. A few months later, it entered into an operating agreement with the Greenville County Recreation District to manage the project. Initial bids for removing the tracks–both rails and ties–proved too expensive, so the project was re-bid to include only removal of the rails. The ties will then be removed by volunteers in a massive workday effort to be organized by Hands On Greenville and Upstate Forever next year.

to downtown Greenville...

The GCEDC will work with the Greenville Transit Authority (GTA) to study the feasibility of also using the trail for low-speed motorized transportation. Upstate Forever is committed to working with GCEDC, GTA, and other partners to develop this innovative approach to alternative transportation for our region.

to Furman University...

City of Greenville Links up to the
Greenway

The City of Greenville recently completed construction of a 12-foot-wide trail (including a 4-foot-wide rubberized portion) along 1.5 miles of the Reedy River from the Children’s Garden at Linky Stone Park to the city limits. When the county-owned portion of the Greenway is completed, it will pick up where the city path leaves off and continue northward.

The city is also committed to extending the greenway from the southern end of Cleveland

and finally to Travelers Rest

Park down to Greenville Tech. This trail will also follow the Reedy, and will provide easy access to downtown for Greenville Tech students, Nicholtown residents, and Cleveland Street YMCA users.

Conestee Nature Park Opens to the Public

Lake Conestee Nature Park, a 300- acre park that will serve as the southern terminus to the Greenway, opened on October 28. Over 100 people attended the opening and hiked along the new boardwalks and trails connecting Conestee to Greenville Tech.

Now the only missing link in the greenway is between Lake Conestee and Greenville Tech. Fortunately, most of the land between Conestee and I-85 is owned by the City of Greenville and Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority, and Friends of the Reedy River owns much of the frontage between I-85 and South Pleasantburg Drive – from there it’s only a short distance to the Tech campus. So the entire greenway can be a reality soon!