View Edwards Mill Road Greenway in a larger map

DOT says it has awarded a $604,000 contract to build the 1.3-mile Edwards Mill Road Greenway in West Raleigh, from the Reedy Creek Road Greenway to Trinity Road.

State Contracting of Wake Forest won the contract, to start work as soon as Feb. 28 with completion in mid-October.

The new trail on the east side of Edwards Mill Road will extend Raleigh's greenway network, adding a connection to the Loblolly Trail through Schenk Forest. It also will give pedestrians and cyclists a new route to the RBC Center.  The city of Raleigh will contribute $28,000 to the project and take over maintenance of the greenway after it is built.

The breezy made for a chilly morning, but the runners and the bands
turned out anyway for the third annual Bank of America Raleigh Rocks
Half Marathon http://www.ncraces.com/ on Saturday.

The first runners to complete the scenic-but-challenging 13-mile course
were two frequent entrants in area races, Marc Jeuland and Kristy
Friel, who added more top finishes to their lists by winning the men's
and women's overall championships. (Top men's and women's overall and
masters finishers are listed below.)

Jeuland, 31, of Carrboro finished the scenic-but-challenging 13-mile
course in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 58 seconds, just off the race record of
1:08.37 by 2009 winner John Crews.

The folks planning fast-train service between Washington and Charlotte are working on a footpath that would follow the rail corridor.

The proposed Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor includes a hiking trail. State and local agencies in North Carolina and Virginia are holding public meetings in coming weeks to gather local ideas on where the trail -- not the tracks -- should be located.

A description of the trail plan is at the end of this post. More info is available on the SEHSR website.

Here are time and place details on the North Carolina meetings: ...

One downfall to sharing an easement with a sewer line (as is frequently
the case with our greenways): When there's a problem with the line and
heavy equipment is called in to remedy the problem, the trail generally
is closed.

A bumper crop of “No Parking” signs is flourishing along Reedy Creek and Trenton roads at the southeast edge of Umstead State Park in West Raleigh.

Even in winter, they’re spreading like kudzu.

In the past two years, the state Department of Transportation has planted about 60 signs on a quarter-mile stretch around this quiet corner.

They stand barely 30 feet apart, closer than needed for a simple regulatory message. They’re dense enough to serve as crude barriers — to anyone who dares to park the car and indulge in the guilty pleasure of fresh air and exercise in a splendid state park.

On Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council will consider making a further extension of the Umstead unwelcome mat.

The council’s consent agenda — items to be approved without discussion — includes a parking ban on the streets of Trenton Woods, one of the nice new subdivisions springing up on Umstead’s outskirts. Homeowners there don’t like park users parking in front of their homes.

[Tuesday 2/3 update: The Trenton Woods proposal was pulled from the council agenda and sent to a committee for study.] ... [MORE]

Bids will go out after first of the year, construction should begin next summer on vital link in Raleigh's greenway system.

Thursday, I was riding the trusty Trek 820 converted commuter bike down
Seabrook Avenue in Cary when I spotted something odd near MacDonald
Woods Park. Something you rarely see on a Triangle area greenway, yet
something the vast majority of us — outside of city planners,
apparently — find useful. A sign.

The biggest complaint I get — about anything: We've got all these great greenways and trails that are starting to connect with one another, yet no comprehensive map to help me navigate the system. Thanks to the Parks and Recreation Partnership for a Healthier Wake, you can stop complaining about this oversight in Wake County, at least.

Yesterday, the Partnership rolled out its "trails & greenways of wake county," a pocket guide containing the trails and greenways of 12 municipalities plus Wake County. It's available in a handy 5 x 7 format: stick it in your glovebox or in a Zip-lock bag and stuff it in your jersey pocket. The maps are small, but detailed enough to do the job.

I'm working on finding out where you can pick up the hard copies. Until then, you can download your own here.

Connection to Umstead still up-in-the-air as is get dotted, ts crossed.

Thanks to an unscheduled, unwanted, but really, really effective ab workout.