Henry County connecting to the 33 mile long Arabia Mountain Path Trail.
HENRY COUNTY, GA – The Henry County Board of Commissioners celebrated the much-anticipated Panola Mountain Greenway Trail PATH (AMP Trail extension into Henry County) holding a momentous groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at the edge of the construction site Panola Mountain State Park and Hwy 155. Panola Mountain State Park is located at 2620 Highway 155 SW, Stockbridge, GA 30281.
The PATH Foundation project is the Henry County tie-in to the trail network located on the east side of S.R. 155 at Panola Mountain State Park which is currently open being a state park. In October, Commissioners approved an award bid to Lewallen Construction in the amount of $2,724, 673 to construct the project. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) approved the bid award in November and a final agreement between GDOT and the County was executed last month. The Notice to Proceed was given to the contractor on January 6. District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes, in whose district the trail will be constructed, lauded the County and its partners for making the project a reality. “I’m very excited that this partnership between the BOC and PATH is now in the construction phase. We’ve gone through a number of ups and downs with this project over the past 8 years. There have been times where I’ve had my doubts, however we’re finally here and this very important quality of life initiative is moving forward,” said Holmes. “Kudos to the BOC, staff, BOE and PATH Foundation on the coordinated effort to see this project through and bringing it into reality.“ The County will receive more than $2.7 million in federal funding for this project and will provide a 20 percent match in the amount of $544,935. Funding was made possible through a Transportation Enhancement Grant and a Transportation Alternatives Program Grant. Background information on how this project moved forward: Commissioner Bruce Holmes, County Manager Cheri Matthews, and Stockbridge Councilman Elton Alexander worked diligently on this project to move it forward with the assistance of GDOT Board members Dana Lemon and Ray Lambert! Path Foundation Executive Director Ed McBrayer the driving force behind the project and the preeminent authority on trails in America, will oversee the project along with Project Manager Jonathan McCaig of Path Foundation. McBrayer built the Silver Comet Trail and has completed over 300 miles of multi use trails. A special thank you to Kelly Jordan of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Board for all his persistence. Councilman Elton Alexander also serves on the Arabia Board as the representative for the Henry County area making sure we are at the table. A beautiful pedestrian bridge like the one pictured above will be built over Hwy 155 just north of Fairview Road.
Additional Details: This means in a few years you will be able to bike from Stockbridge to Atlanta. A missing trail segment from Waldrop Road to Georgia State Panthersville is currently under construction. When completed only one gap will exist from Waldrop Road to the Martin Luther King Jr. High School Decatur near Hwy 155. The previously completed section of the Georgia State Panthersville trail takes you under I-285 to Constitution Road Atlanta, it opened a few years ago. Once the MLK Jr High to Waldrop Road section to Georgia State Panthersville is completed in a few years you will be able to bike from north Stockbridge to Atlanta. In the next decade the AMP will connect to the Southeast Atlanta BeltLine Trail at Boulevard Crossing Park Atlanta!
********************************************* AMP Trail section under I-285 near Bouldercrest Road. This section was renamed the Michele Obama Trail running from Georgia State South at Panthersville to Constitution Road Atlanta.
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