The Maryville Alcoa Greenway is a cooperative effort by the two cities and Blount County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

to connect existing parks with a paved foot and cycle path.

History

The city of Maryville initially developed its

Bicentennial Greenbelt Park Bicentennial Greenbelt Park is a public park located in downtown Maryville, Tennessee. History Bicentennial Park was an urban renewal project of the City of Maryville during the period leading up to the US Bicentennial in 1976. The intent was t ...

by clearing part of its downtown and damming

Pistol Creek Pistol Creek is a tributary of the Little River, located entirely within Blount County, Tennessee. Features Pistol Creek arises from several springs in the Carpenter's Campground section of Blount County, flowing first northeast, then northwest ...

to flood the area.

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

had developed its own Springbrook Park. In 1996 efforts to connect the parks began. In early 1996 the two cities were successful in obtaining an $850,000 grant of

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA, pronounced ''Ice-Tea'') is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in ...

(ISTEA) for the Greenway. Between 1996 and 1998 the two parks were connected by a three-mile (5 km) extension entirely within the city of Alcoa. During the same period Maryville extended the Greenway from the Greenbelt to the Maryville Intermediate School. On October 15, 1998 the Maryville Alcoa Greenway was dedicated. The Greenway was immediately well received by the public and by early 1999 plans were already underway for extensions. The result was Alcoa extended a spur through the Springbrook Corporate Center. The two cities also completed an eastern connector between the Greenbelt and Springbrook Park. Today the Greenway is well lighted and marked, providing numerous opportunities for picnics, play, and exercise while connecting the two cities and providing a nine-mile linear recreational facility.

Alcoa Main (4 miles)

Beginning at Mile Marker 0 (the line between Maryville and Alcoa), the Greenway proceeds north for to the Springbrook Corporate Center Spur, then east to the Alcoa Duck Pond at mile 3, then north through Springbrook Park to Hunt Road, ending at mile 4.

Green Meadows Spur (1 mile)

Beginning at mile 1.5 the spur extends through the Springbrook Corporate Center crossing

US 129 U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an auxiliary route of US 29, which it intersects in Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, to an interchange ...

. On December 22, 2010, a bridge over US 129 funded by ARRA was completed which permits access to the Green Meadows community.The Daily Times December 22, 2010 "A new face: Pedestrian bridge gives Alcoa ‘new identity’"

East Connector (2.5 miles)

The East Connector begins at mile 3 on the Alcoa Main and heads south , following the edge of the Alcoa Aluminum plant, crossing into Maryville at and connecting to the Greenbelt Park from mile marker 0. MAG at Bicentennial Park

Maryville (4 miles)

Beginning at Mile Marker 0 (the line between Maryville and Alcoa), the Greenway heads south, then west through the

Bicentennial Park (Greenbelt) Bicentennial Greenbelt Park is a public park located in downtown Maryville, Tennessee. History Bicentennial Park was an urban renewal project of the City of Maryville during the period leading up to the US Bicentennial in 1976. The intent was t ...

and back east to the

Charles West Amphitheater Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, adjacent to the old Courthouse at mile marker 1. The Greenway heads southeast across

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...

and

Montvale Road Montvale may refer to: Places *Montvale (Worcester, Massachusetts), a historic district *Montvale, an unincorporated community in Middlesex County near Woburn *Montvale, New Jersey, a borough in Bergen County **Montvale (NJT station) *Montvale, Virg ...

connecting with

Sandy Springs Park Sandy Springs Park is a public park located in Maryville, Tennessee. Location Sandy Springs Park is bound on the southwest by Best Street, on the northeast by Cedar Street, on northwest by Boyd Avenue and Willow Avenue, and on the southeast by K ...

. The Greenway then heads east to

Pearson Springs Park Pearson Springs Park is a public park managed by Maryville/Alcoa/Blount County Parks and Recreation. Pearson Springs parallels Pistol Creek from Best Road on the northeast to the junction of the Maryville Alcoa Greenway and Montgomery Lane on the ...

at mile 3.5 and the Maryville Intermediate School at mile 4

References

External links

Greenway map
{{coord, 35.7801, -83.9851, type:landmark, display=title Parks in Tennessee Protected areas of Blount County, Tennessee Alcoa, Tennessee Maryville, Tennessee