CORDOVA, Tenn. — The Shelby Farms Greenline will be extended four more miles to reach the Old Cordova Rail House, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy announced Friday.
Ritchie Smith Associates designed the 4.15-mile extension, which has a planned opening date of late next summer.
The extension will make the Greenline the longest continuous greenway trail in Shelby County. Currently spanning 6.5 miles, the greenway was an unused railroad that has been turned into a paved cycling and pedestrian trail stretching from Midtown to Shelby Farms Park.
“This is another significant step to provide Shelby County with a first-class recreational route for walkers, joggers and bikers,” Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell, Jr. said. “Not only will the new route link various neighborhoods, but it will encourage more citizens to exercise.”
The extension will add six entrances to the trail. Safety enforcements will also help the trail cross Germantown Parkway.
“The goal of the Shelby Farms Greenline is to connect people to the Park and to each other,” Shelby Farms Park Conservancy Executive Director Laura W. Morris said. “Prior to its creation, you couldn’t access the Park without a car. Now we’re seeing more than 1,000 visitors hitting the trail each week.”
More than 200,000 people visit the Greenline each year, and the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy said it expects this number to grow immensely.
The Greenline expansion coincides with a number of improvements in the works at Shelby Farms Park.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new extension will take place near the Old Cordova Rail House on August 7 at 1:30 p.m.
