Cobb County officials are asking residents to provide input on expanding Noonday Creek Trail, which they hope to connect into the regional trail network from Cherokee County to the city of Atlanta.
The proposed $19 million expansion would connect to Woodstock’s trail expansion, slated to begin construction this fall. It would extend the trail along Noonday Park down to the existing Cobb trailhead off of Bells Ferry Road, significantly lengthening the trail up through Cherokee and down to Kennesaw Mountain.
Credit: Cobb County
Credit: Cobb County
“When we look at the larger trail network that includes, of course, Noonday Creek, Silver Comet, even down to connections to the Beltline, this is one of those key regional connections,” said Drew Raessler, Cobb’s transportation director.
The proposal includes a 10-foot-wide, mostly-paved trail along Noonday Creek for just under four miles with a new trailhead proposed for the northern end of Noonday Park, which is mostly made up of soccer fields. The trail will skirt along the outside of the park to avoid increased congestion on soccer game days, Raessler said.
The city of Woodstock received a $2.5 million grant in 2020 for its expansion of the Noonday Creek Trail in Cherokee County from the existing trailhead off of State Route 92, down to Cobb’s Noonday Park.
While Cobb does not yet have a funding source for the proposed trail expansion, officials aim to seek regional funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission and may apply for federal grants, Raessler said. Some funds may be pulled from the special purpose local option sales tax as well.
Planning is still underway, and the timeline for the trail’s completion depends on the county’s ability to snag funding and develop regional partnerships for its development, Raessler said.
In the recent community meetings about the trail, residents mostly seemed excited about expansion, he added.
“There were some folks that live nearby that said: “‘This is the absolute most important thing that you could ever do in this area,’” Raessler said.
To learn more or provide feedback on the proposed expansion, go to www.cobbcounty.org/transportation/planning/trails.
