Oaks and Spokes board member, Kristi Pettibone, shares her trail riding experience and investigation into the longtime closure of Crabtree Creek Trail – scheduled to reopen August 2021.
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When we moved to Raleigh ten years ago, I tried riding the greenways in a loop around our city – it looked possible on the greenway map, but I kept getting stuck in various locations; I couldn’t tell where the trail was or where I was supposed to go.
Last May – for Bike Month – I tried again. I started near Pullen Park, taking the Rocky Branch Trail to Walnut Creek, then riding along the Neuse Greenway for a couple miles before picking up the Crabtree Creek Trail. Things were going well – there were lots of new signs that weren’t there ten years ago that made it much easier to navigate the trail system.
Crabtree Creek Trail: Closure and Collapse
But then I rode under Capital Boulevard and found a big “Greenway Closed” sign – I was able to figure out a detour, but Hodges Road is pretty rough riding with lots of industrial businesses and truck traffic. Trying to get from the trail to Hodges Road was treacherous – requiring a ride along portions of Capital Boulevard and its maelstrom of motorists.
Traveling near this corridor months later I saw construction on Ratchford Drive, but assumed it was just for repairs to the street; turns out the City had been hard at work rerouting the trail.
David Bender is the Capital Projects Manager and Engineer with the City of Raleigh responsible for this repair work, and all the other greenway construction and maintenance around Raleigh. Oaks and Spokes Interim Executive Director Mary Sell and I had a chance to talk with Bender trailside a few weeks ago; he told us about the recent history of Crabtree Creek Trail and the City-wide effort that went into identifying its repair solutions:
“We had just opened the repaired section of the boardwalk adjacent to Ratchford Drive in January 2018; we were already preparing design plans to repair another section of the boardwalk damaged by the hurricane … when the structure failed and collapsed the boardwalk.”
“Our next step was to expand our design to address this damage as well as reinforce the remaining boardwalk. Unfortunately, another high water event caused extensive erosion and scour along another section of the elevated boardwalk, resulting in a catastrophic collapse of the boardwalk.”
At this point City of Raleigh staff began to evaluate alternative routes for this section of the Crabtree Creek Trail which is the route now being built.
Behind the Scenes: Constantly Building, Repairing, and Maintaining our Greenways
So much of the work that goes into building, repairing, and maintaining the greenway system is outside the public’s vantage point.
Bender: “There can be months or years of planning, reviews, and approvals that have to go into ensuring that our trail system is safe and accessible for users. And because most of our trail system follows the various creeks and rivers in town … [we] consider both the impact of the environment on our trails and the impact of the trails on the environment.”
As greenway construction and repair projects are developed, every department in the City has an opportunity to review the plans and provide input. As a result of this collaboration, Raleigh Water identified a new option that could take advantage of the sewer right-of-way if the trail could be designed to support sewer maintenance trucks. Bender recognized, “this really ended up being a win-win solution for everyone involved.”
A New Route for Crabtree Creek Trail
The new route follows Ratchford Drive for about a quarter of a mile. A series of switchbacks will ensure that riders of all abilities are easily able to navigate the steep hill down to Crabtree Creek. Then riders will follow the sewer right-of-way along the creek until it meets back up with the current trail.
An avid cyclist himself, Bender looks forward to the completion of this particular section of the trail. The work is scheduled to be completed and the trail re-opened in July 2021. The City does not currently have plans for a formal ribbon cutting upon the re-open, but cyclists are encouraged to stay tuned for a celebratory ride organized by Oaks and Spokes!
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Check out more details about what is officially known as the Crabtree Creek Trail Structure 106 Repairs, including a map of the trail options that were proposed. With almost 120 miles of greenway trails in Raleigh alone, the City always has projects, repairs, and additions planned. To see what else is in the works, check out the main page for Parks and Greenways Projects.
Hope to see you out on our trails soon – happy riding friends!