Green Crescent Trail Receives $1.3 Million From the State of South Carolina
The Friends of the Green Crescent Trail (FGCT) has been awarded a South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism grant in the amount of $800,000 to fund two shovel-ready trail construction projects in the city of Clemson and the town of Central. The latest award brings total state support for Green Crescent Trail projects to $1.3 million to date. Work on both the Clemson and Central trail projects is set to begin in early 2023, and upon their completion, will represent two, multi-mileage, multi-modal connections for the Upstate municipalities.
The most recent funding approved for distribution by the FGCT will construct trails and trail connections between Clemson and Gateway parks in Clemson and at the Central-Clemson Recreation Center in Central. The allocations maximize the dollars to be spent on physical construction and were identified based on trail distance and shovel-ready projects within the scope of the initial budget request to the state.
The funding breakdown for the next phase of projects are:
$647,000City of Clemson: Gateway-Connector Project
$153,000Town of Central: Central-Clemson Rec Loop
$800,000Total
“The value and significance of this project to the Clemson, Central and Southern Wesleyan University Communities has allowed my request for $1 million over the past two budget cycles to be approved by the South Carolina General Assembly,” said District 3 Statehouse Rep. Jerry Carter. “The Green Crescent Trail will not only connect our communities with family-friendly hiking/biking paths, but it also will enhance our general wellbeing and health by providing more opportunities for people to exercise and enjoy the outdoors.”
In Clemson, a 2020 $100,000 SCPRT grant helped fund a ¼-mile multi-use loop at Clemson Park, the oldest park in city limits, along with construction of a bike skills “pump track” that was seeded by a $10,000 Duke Energy Powerful Communities Nature Grant. The city held a ribbon-cutting event for that facility in July 2022.
The newest $800,000 grant will connect the now-improved Clemson Park facility to the Green Crescent Trail Bridge on Berkeley Drive and Gateway Park at S.C. Highway 93.
“The shared vision we all have for this multimodal network is finally taking shape after years of important groundwork that had to be laid in order to ensure the larger project’s success,” said Heidi Coryell Williams, current chair of the FGCT board of directors.
“Few public infrastructure projects have as many immediate and clear benefits as a trail network; putting trail on the ground makes better use of all our existing public assets,” she said. “It is our nonprofit’s great honor to be able to partner with multiple municipalities and to gain the support of Pickens County’s legislative delegation for this broad effort. We look forward to continued momentum for the greater Clemson-Central-Pendleton area once our first completed and connected sections of trail are on the ground in 2023.”
The FGCT will allocate funds to complete construction of the two projects, both of which are within the overall Green Crescent Trail network:
-
Green Crescent Trail in the City of Clemson is an approximately 1.5-mile new section of trail, beginning at the Berkeley Drive/Frontage Rd intersection, continuing through Clemson Park, the Rippleview neighborhood, and ending at Gateway Park.
-
Green Crescent Trail in the Town of Central is an approximately 0.4-mile new section of trail along a town-owned sewer easement, beginning near the Central-Clemson Recreation Center on Cross Creek Road and ending in a residential subdivision at Spring Forest Drive.
Current progress
Clemson engineers bid out the Green Crescent Trail in the City of Clemson connection January 10, 2023, and construction is set to begin by March, with an estimated completion time of about six months, according to city engineer Nathan Hinkle. The city received its SCDOT encroachment permit in late December.
In addition to trail construction, the City of Clemson also has a project for improvements to Gateway Park that is partially funded with a 2022 state PRT grant for $100,000, and that project is under way and nearing completion.
“We are ecstatic that we received funding through SCPRT for our Gateway-Connector project,” said Clemson Mayor Robert Halfacre. “This is a critical connection for recreation and alternative transportation. The funding also demonstrates a collaborative effort between the City, Clemson University, the state PRT, and the Green Crescent Trail group.
“A debt of gratitude is owed to our elected and appointed officials who have made this possible, including City Administrator Andy Blondeau, City Engineer Nathan Hinkle, and Urban Park and Land Management Director Tony Tidwell. Thanks to Rep. Carter’s leadership and the support of Pickens County’s legislative delegation, alongside the Green Crescent Trail’s advocacy, we can all look forward to this future amenity that will benefit the whole community.”
A separate section of the trail between U.S. 76 and Gateway Park has been completely built by Clemson University and is part of a University-funded widening project.This University section of trailway will create a connection to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens and the center of Clemson University’s campus.
In the town of Central, design and engineering work is under way on a spur trail behind the community recreation center, which is being funded by the state PRT dollars, as well as a $50,000 “healthy living” sponsorship from AnMed Health and town of Central monies. Located along a sewer easement, the FGCT and the town will move forward with construction plans after design is completed.
“The Central-Clemson Recreation Center is a hub of healthy activity for both our communities,” said Town of Central Mayor Andrew Beckner. “The opportunity to add a new, outdoor trail facility to this location is an important investment in the existing rec center and frisbee golf assets already in place, and this area will be a continued draw for outdoor enthusiasts across the region.”