Neuse River Greenway Segment 3 Construction Update and Photo Tour

I've been anxious to know how construction on the Neuse River Greenway Segment 3 is moving along, especially since the powers that be forbade access to said segment last Fall. I noticed that the "No Trespassing" signs were down a couple of weeks ago. So, I figured that was pretty much an invitation to check it out.

It's not an invitation. There are still workers and large machines on Segment 3 throughout the week. And, I'm sure they'd prefer that the general public stay out of their way. As you'll see in the photos below, there is still much work to be done.

Saturdays and Sundays appear to be fair game, though!

So, yesterday I headed out on Segment 3 from Raleigh Beach Road to see how far I could go. The cleared area to the left of the port-a-lou in that photo above wasn't there before. So, I went that way.

My secret hope was that Segment 3 would be connected via bridge to Segment 2, which is also under construction. And, if that were the case, I'd be able to run all the way to Segment 1, which is complete. And, that would mean I could, theoretically, run all the way to Falls effin' Lake!

I'll go ahead and tell you now that Segment 3 and Segment 2 are still, at this time, very much separated by the mighty Neuse River. They'll probably connect the segments the day after I move, thereby diluting the thrill of the occasion for me by, like, 78 percent.

Anyway, I'll skip from the port-a-lou at Raleigh Beach Rd. to the section behind the Hedingham Neighborhood, which will seem very confusing if you haven't been here before. We're going to be running this trail out and back, though. So, I won't let you miss anything.

The Greenway behind Hedingham still looks very much the same as it did six months ago.

This used to be about a quarter mile of single-track trail. Sigh.

And, it just gets smoother. That's dirt, not concrete.

You know they're serious about the Greenway when there's a retaining wall involved.

Hmm. Caution tape. What could that mean? How will I get around that?

This is where Segment 2 will join Segment 3 once the bridge is put in place — someday.

The remainder of Segment 3 to Abbington Ln. is smooth and ready for paving. The parking area is blocked off at the moment.

So, now we're turning around and re-seeing the stuff you just saw in the photos above. We'll skip past Hedingham again and resume the photo display at the marshy area surrounding a wooden bridge that serves as the entry to the Hedingham section from the south.

Marshy area suitable for bird and fish watching.

Oh, say, that'll be a nice view once the canvas fence is gone.

Here's a bridge I resisted crossing after I passed that port-a-lou at the beginning. Saving the best for later, and all that. Wonder where it goes.

Daaayuuum! Who knew that was there?

Here's the other view from the bridge. Of course, there's a piece of trash on an otherwise picturesque river island.

So, the bridge takes us to the east side of the river, where there's a small parking area off Old Milburnie Rd. People use this parking lot for fishing and kayak access. I figure this won't take me anywhere. But wait...

There's some sort of access road heading north-ish from the parking area. Hmm...

Oh. A few minutes later, I see that we're facing a gate barring access to this access "road" from Old Milburnie. The other side of that sign reads something like, "No Trespassing. State Owned. Blah, blah, blah." Time to turn around.

The sojourn on the access road wasn't completely wasted though. I saw a little fishing trail leading into the woods. And, here's a nice scene! Apparently, I'm not supposed to be here, though.

Back across the bridge and cross the port-a-lou intersection to proceed south from the Raleigh Beach Rd. spur.

It looks like they're redoing that bridge, or getting rid of it. The detour on the left is a little inconspicuous. It's not a long detour, though.

Well, this intersection wasn't here before. The right side is old. The left side is new. Let's see where that one takes us.

Ah, okay, that left-side path reconnects with the right side at the point where they're going to place another new bridge. This bridge will connect the quarter-mile Knightdale "greenway" with the Neuse River Greenway's awesomeness. That'll be cool.

This last photo pretty much marks the end of Segment 3. Anderson Point Park is just around the bend and across a highway overpass from here. So, we'll turn around and head back to the start.

The City website indicates that this greenway segment will be complete in the Fall of 2012. So, in a relatively short time, all of this will be paved. That's okay, though. I've matured over the past year and a half. And, I'm much more tolerant of paved running terrain. I've learned to appreciate any sort of runnable space, really.

Thanks for reading!