Athens-Clarke County’s Greenway Network Connectors Project promotes sustainability and community | City News

Athens-Clarke County’s Greenway Network Connectors Project connects parts of the city through walkable and bikeable paths, while also promoting conservation, sustainable transportation and community wellness.

A vision of connection

For local officials, the greenway is not just a recreational amenity, it is a blueprint for Athens’ sustainable future.

The greenway supports environmental conservation along the Oconee River by bringing awareness to it, according to District 8 Commissioner Carol Myers.

The Oconee Rivers Greenway System provides eight miles of concrete trails, designed for travel and recreation along with 3.1 miles of natural hiking trails. The trail system aligns with the ACC’s long-term goals for conservation and alternative transportation by offering safe, green routes into town.

“I live over on the east side, and I use the greenway regularly to get into town,” Myers said.

Balancing growth and green space

As Athens continues to develop, particularly near North Avenue and the University of Georgia’s expanding facilities, balancing infrastructure growth with environmental preservation remains a challenge.

“Nothing is cheap when it comes to building services,” Myers said. “If you build a greenway here, you have less money there for fixing an intersection that is dangerous, and so forth, so that’s the real challenge.”

Investing in public spaces requires substantial funding and planning. The current budget for the Oconee Rivers Greenway Connectors Project is $6,763,000 and includes seven sub-projects. Despite the high cost, these investments create lasting benefits for the community, promoting recreation and environmental awareness.

Environmental awareness in action

Environmental advocates emphasize that the greenway does more than just protect wildlife, it brings people closer to understanding the systems that sustain Athens by giving them a chance to engage more closely with the natural environment.

“The awareness of the whole ecosystem is made clearer when we actually get access to that river, because otherwise you don’t know,” Myers said.

Programs such as Rivers Alive, an annual cleanup event, and educational signage along the trails reinforce awareness for the health of the Oconee River. The trails and wildlife corridors of the greenway are maintained by the Trails and Open Space staff and volunteers who frequently pick up trash and debris.

“In modern culture, we’ve sort of separated parts of the environment out, and that river now is no longer separate[d] out for the rest of the community,” Myers said.

Wellness from the greenway

For Athens residents, students and visitors, the greenway means different things. For some, it’s exercise. For others, it’s the community.

The Greenway Connectors Project creates a shared space for students near campus and residents downtown to connect, offering an accessible environment to everyone.

Myers, who regularly uses the trail, sees it as a vital part of city life, highlighting that “the greenway represents the communities around it.”

The trail promotes engagement with nature as well as physical and mental health, according to Myers.

“Moving your body is just so important to do and the greenway gives you places where people can go do that in a sort of safe environment, in an aesthetically beautiful place,” she said.

Vic Ryders, a junior finance major, credits the greenway for helping him stay active. Ryders uses the greenway “three to five times a week, just to run,” he said.

Looking ahead

As Athens looks toward the next decade, the vision for the Oconee Rivers Greenway Network Connectors project is ambitious: a fully connected, accessible corridor that links neighborhoods, parks and public spaces across the city.

Myers hopes the project will continue to expand and evolve, including a space for E-bikes and other sustainable mobility options, which have already transformed how residents use the trails.

“It’s a place where people can interact, decompress, travel, use for transportation,” Myers said.

Her hopes are to see it explode with even more life in coming years.

In the end, the Oconee Rivers Greenway is more than just a trail — it is a connection between people and nature, movement and mindfulness, growth and preservation. As Athens continues to grow, that balance might just be what keeps the city green.