Another recreational venue is now available to the public in Mount Airy — the first leg of the new Ararat River Greenway.

City officials have announced that the section of the asphalt trail stretching from Riverside Park to the Bannertown bridge at South Main Street is open to walkers, joggers and cyclists.

The construction of the entire greenway, which is part of a $4 million project to restore banks of the Ararat River damaged by erosion, won’t be completed until later.

However, Jeff Boyles, Mount Airy’s public services director, said project developers decided to allow use of the portion that is finished.

“They’re OK with the public getting on it now. But it is not officially opened,” Boyles said. “We just want to go ahead and let people use what they can.”

The best place to reach the new greenway is Riverside Park on Riverside Drive. The pathway can be accessed near the park’s older picnic shelter on its upper (north) side.

Boyles added that the distance from this point to where the greenway stretches now, to Bannertown, is 1.8 miles. When completed, the route will extend to a new park at B.H. Tharrington Primary School, covering 2.2 miles.

Eventually, other access points will be available on Hamburg Street and at Tharrington. Boyles said a foot bridge is to be installed at Bannertown to allow the remaining portion of the greenway to be reached.

“A lot of people are using it,” the public services director said of the first leg.

But Boyles cautioned that users should be on the lookout for, and yield to, construction equipment that will continue to operate in the area, due to the project still being in the developmental stages. The public should abide by any directions given from contractor personnel.

The Ararat River Greenway is the second such facility in Mount Airy, joining the Emily B. Taylor Greenway on the western end of town. But in contrast to that greenway which opened earlier this decade amid a busy commercial area, the new facility is a quieter, more secluded venue offering a “back-to-nature” experience.

“It’s so awesome,” city Parks and Recreation Director Catrina Alexander said Thursday, adding that she is “thrilled” to see the overall project reaching fruition.

Greenway Regulations

Alexander said permanent signs are not yet installed on the first leg of the greenway, but have been ordered. In the meantime, temporary signs will be put up to inform the public about use of the facility.

She said that all greenway rules established for the Emily B. Taylor facility also will apply to the Ararat River route.

These include using the greenway only during daylight hours, no motorized vehicles, keeping animals on a leash less than 6 feet long and supervising children. Individuals and groups should stay to the right, allowing faster users to pass safely on the left without leaving the trail surface.

Bicycle riders must avoid excessive speeds and wear appropriate safety equipment (with state law requiring those 16 and younger to use helmets), give audible warnings when passing and yield to pedestrians at all times.

No motorized vehicles are permitted, although handicapped mobility devices are allowed.

In addition, alcohol is not permitted on the greenway and, as is the case with any recreational facility in the city, it is a criminal offense for any registered sex offender to be on the premises.

Overall Improvements

Along with enhancing parks and recreational opportunities and correcting sediment and erosion problems, goals of the Ararat River restoration project include improving water quality, protecting sewer lines and supporting economic development and conservation efforts.

Boyles said the official project timetable requires its completion by March, but the contractor, North State Environmental Inc., is optimistic that the job will be finished earlier.

He said some type of official dedication ceremony is planned for the spring.

Funding for the river restoration was provided by the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, Division of Water Resources and the city of Mount Airy.

Oversight has been supplied by Pilot View Resource Conservation and Development and the Resource Institute Inc., in cooperation with North State Environmental and Baker Engineering.

Mount Airy officials also are crediting the foresight and generosity of various landowners who provided property easements for the project.

“We can’t plug them enough,” Alexander added Thursday.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.