River Link Greenway (formerly Lakewood Park Trail) is a federally funded greenway trail and a part of the Carolina Thread Trail. This section of the trail is approximately 3,800 feet long. The project begins at Lakewood Park and continues northerly along the South Fork Catawba River to US 29/74 where it will connect to another phase of the trail after crossing under the US 29/74 bridge over the river.
WithersRavenel provided planning, engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, boardwalk design, hydraulics, hydrology, environmental document, wetland delineation, easement acquisition, cost estimating, and permitting.
The project involved several challenges. First, the greenway alignment crossed major utility easements for both Duke Energy and Colonial Pipeline. Second, it needed to avoid Duke Energy’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) project boundary. Finally, the design needed to minimize floodway, wetland, stream and property impacts.
WithersRavenel held a public meeting for River Link Greenway at Cramerton Town Hall. After receiving both written and verbal comments from the public, the firm made sure to address stakeholder and citizen concerns in the final design.