Map of the planned greenway. Click to enlarge.

The Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department has been notified that it has received $1.1 million in federal stimulus funds to build the West Branch Rocky River Greenway, a new section of biking and walking trails through the River Run neighborhood. Work could begin in 2010.As DavidsonNews.net reported in August, the West Branch greenway was high on a list of projects in line for federal stimulus funding through the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The proposed 1.2-mile section of Greenway would run from River Ford Drive near the 13th tee of River Run Country Club, and along the West Branch of the East Rocky River. It would terminate at Shearer Road, in an area now under development south of the river known as River Run Phase 5. It would not connect directly with the Southeast Greenway or other off-road greenways in Davidson, but would be reachable via streets in River Run.

County plans call for an “enhanced trailhead” at River Ford Drive and would include paved trails and a boardwalk.

Local supporters of the greenway project were notified of the funding in an email last week from Maya Agarwal, a greenway planner with the county parks & rec department.

“We’ve just received construction authorization from NCDOT to build West Branch Rocky River Greenway. We’ll be advertising (for construction bids) soon, and building early next year,” she wrote.

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Aug. 13, 2009, “River Run Greenway could get stimulus funding.”

Mecklenburg County web page on the West Branch greenway plans.