Region could gain interconnectivity through bike, ped trail

The proposed trail system the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission is considering could connect green spaces already in North Georgia, like the Chickamauga Battlefield, pictured here, which is already a draw for cyclists. Linking Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold and Chickamauga together via a pedestrian- and bike-friendly space would have immeasurable benefits for those communities, said NWGRC Director of Regional Planning Julianne Meadows.
The proposed trail system the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission is considering could connect green spaces already in North Georgia, like the Chickamauga Battlefield, pictured here, which is already a draw for cyclists. Linking Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold and Chickamauga together via a pedestrian- and bike-friendly space would have immeasurable benefits for those communities, said NWGRC Director of Regional Planning Julianne Meadows.

Northwest Georgia should get a little more connected, if the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission has anything to say about it.

The commission is nearly finished with a year-long feasibility study regarding bike and pedestrian trails that would connect the numerous green spaces throughout Catoosa and parts of Walker and Dade counties.

"The greater potential is to become part of a larger connection to Tennessee and the rest of Northwest Georgia," said Julianne Meadows, the NWGRC's director of regional planning.

The group recently held its last public meeting to gather input and answer questions about the possibility of the trail network. Meadows said the meeting was productive, and boasted members of the Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe and Catoosa County local governments in attendance.

The NWGRC is interested in the economic and communal benefits of interconnectivity between communities, Meadows said. The potential health benefits to members of those communities, as well as being a draw to visitors from outside the region are equally important.

"Such a system would provide alternative modes of transportation and would give residents a choice in how they get around in their communities and neighborhoods," she said.

The network of trails could connect everything from the Chickamauga Battlefield to the South Chickamauga Creek area to the historical downtowns of Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold.

The study still isn't finished, but Meadows said things are looking promising and the public seems to be buying in, offering feedback about what they want and what it should look like.

Land planning and environmental engineering company Ragan-Smith Associates out of Nashville is running the study, which was paid for through the NWGRC. The study cost roughly $130,000, Meadows said.

Following the study's completion, the NWGRC will provide guidance and grant assistance to the local governments that want to proceed with work on the trail system. Funding for the project would come from numerous sources, Meadows said, including the Georgia Department of Transportation, local SPLOST funds and other state and federal grants.

The study will be completed June 30.

Meadows said the NWGRC is looking at the Silver Comet Trail, a 61.5-mile bike path from the Atlanta area to the Alabama/Georgia state line, as well as the Chattanooga Riverwalk as models they hope to follow, promoting and commerce that could serve as a boon to the region. Like the Silver Comet Trail, the NWGRC is looking at using existing green space and infrastructure to create the trail network. While the Silver Comet Trail takes advantage of bike-only paved pathways built on abandoned rail lines, it also incorporates lesser used rural roads to create a long-distance path.

"I think our local governments were interested at the meeting in seeing the results of the study," she said. "We had a big turnout from the community, and we're eager to see where this project can go."

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