Bob Callan Trail Extention Project

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The Bob Callan trail is a four-mile trail located in Cumberland, Georgia, and is a primary connection for the community to national parkland at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). It is part of a 25-mile network of multi-use trails in process in and around the Cumberland area. One of the priority projects on Cobb County's Greenways and Trails Master Plan, the trailhead for the Bob Callan Trail is at Interstate North Parkway and Cumberland Boulevard. The trail, which lies around 10 miles from the Atlanta Beltline Trail and downtown Atlanta, provides biking, hiking, and recreational amenities directly for the Cumberland community. The southern portion of the trail features a two-mile hike that follows along Rottenwood Creek and leads pedestrians and cyclists over pedestrian bridges and elevated boardwalks. The southernmost access point of the trail is located at CRNRA's Palisades Trailhead at Paces Mill, and, from there, it follows Rottenwood Creek to the Bob Callan Trailhead located at the Interstate North parking lot. The multi-use trail is paved with a porous concrete designed to handle pedestrians, cyclists, and even maintenance vehicles. The porous surface allows for rainfall to filter through to the ground as well. Free parking is located on the northern end of the trail at the Bob Callan Trailhead. The center portion continues the user experience from the Bob Callan Trailhead (Interstate North Parkway & Cumberland Blvd.) approximately one mile north to Interstate North Parkway just slightly south of Windy Hill Road. The two-mile northern extension of the Bob Callan Trail will continue from the Bob Callan Trailhead to the Terrell Mill Road area. Following Rottenwood Creek, the boardwalks of the northern section will work into the natural environment around rock formations and the creek bed. A new trailhead and parking facility that will offer free parking will be constructed off Terrell Mill Road. A partnership of Cumberland Community Improvement District (CCID), Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Georgia DOT, this extension of the Bob Callan Trail runs north along Rottenwood Creek. The project design incorporates safety, sustainability, and accessibility that minimizes impacts to the natural environment while enhancing connectivity and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians. Construction for the extension began in early 2017 and was opened to the public in July 2019 with the second and final phase, set for construction initiation in 2020 to extend northward to Terrell Mill Road providing a connection point to Kennesaw Mountain. The construction includes six boardwalk sections, totaling approximately 1,300 feet in length, one steel truss bridge spans a small creek tributary, one overlook for viewing the shoals at the Assurant property, and resting areas with benches at each end of trail. The first extension cost $9.1 million and was funded by CCID, Cobb County, and the Federal government.

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