A proposed bike park beneath the north side of the Olgiati Bridge could just be the start of the city's bike park scene.
That was the vision shared by renowned bike park developer Judd de Vall, of Whister, British Columbia, at a public meeting Monday afternoon at Outdoor Chattanooga in Coolidge Park.
De Vall, the owner of Alpine Bike Parks, was in town to meet with local officials and the public about the proposed bike park project that has outdoor enthusiasts buzzing, even though it is still early in the planning phase.
Noel Durant, Chattanooga Program Director for the Trust for Public Land, talks Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn., about a proposal to build a bicycle park on this two-and-a-half acre space underneath the Olgiati Bridge on the north side of the the Tennessee River. The Tennessee Riverwalk will pass through the site when it is extended from Renaissance Park to Moccasin Bend. "I see this bike park as a regional, trend-setting facility," de Vall said. "But it's going to be the starting point, not the ending point. It will be the crown jewel until there is so much demand that it's overrun and the mothership has to be built."
De Vall and representatives from the Trust for Public Land met with Tennessee Department of Transportation officials Monday morning to discuss the plan. They met with city officials in the afternoon.
TDOT must get the city's approval before it signs off on the bike park project. The city would operate the park, and the current plan is for it to be free to the public. Another proposal on the table would turn the space under the bridge into a parking lot.
But the Trust for Public Land already has secured a letter of support from the city for the bike park project, said Trust for Public Land program director Noel Durant.
Nothing will be done on the site until the widening of the Olgiati Bridge is complete in 2019.
That leaves plenty of time to dream up a facility that project leaders say is the next frontier in the area's growing cycling scene, one that would cater simultaneously to beginners and professionals.
The bike park would consist largely of varying levels of pump-track terrain - small hills on which cyclists can go airborne - and other trails with features designed for bike interaction.
One concern is that if the park is designed with concrete track over dirt track, which is more difficult to maintain, skaters could migrate to the facility.
"I like the idea of bringing people together, but that's not without its challenges," de Vall said.
Parking and lighting concerns were brought up. So was the fact that the space underneath the bridge is commonly used by homeless people.
The vision for a bike park started at the grassroots level with local extreme sports enthusiast Tom Bowen and some of his friends. The group initially targeted Raccoon Mountain as the potential destination, but usage restrictions at the TVA-operated area sent him looking at other ideas.
"Then I saw a bike park under a bridge out west and figured there would be some opportunity to do that here," Bowen said.
The nearest bike parks like the one proposed for Chattanooga, Brown said, are in Ohio and near Charlotte, N.C., which validates de Vall's assertion the bike park would create substantial tourism.
"I can see people coming from New England to ride here when they're snowed in," de Vall said, "especially with it being a covered facility."
Tyler Biss, trails director of the Chattanooga-based Southern Off-Road Bicycle, called the bike park proposal "super exciting" for the biking community.
"Cycling is already wonderful here," he said. "But this is the next step."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.