Chattanooga’s 25-mile paved trail system is expected to be fully connected by the end of the year, tying together decades of work that has led to a recreational trail that is widely used but has largely been disconnected from area residents.
The central Tennessee Riverwalk – paid for with public funds, federal and local grants, and by local organizations – was conceptualized through a community-planning effort in the late 20th century that led to Ross’s Landing, the Tennessee Aquarium and a reinvented downtown Chattanooga – birthing the 21st Century Waterfront and the concept of the “Chattanooga Way.”
Now, as two ongoing projects complete the central hub of the Tennessee Riverwalk and its adjoining trails, project leaders are shifting their focus to extending the trail system into neighborhoods to make it more accessible.
Using water analogies for the nearby Tennessee River, leaders view the current system as the river itself while future projects will complete the tributaries flowing to surrounding areas.
“That’s part of the goal, longer term, is having this great spine. That word maybe doesn’t do it justice, but thinking about this asset of this shared use path, we can start to think of the connections we can make to it,” said Eric Asboe, Chattanooga’s transportation administrative manager.