In wonderful news for people who ride bikes and those who walk in Chapel Hill—in other words, all of us—the three greenways that were damaged and impassable following Tropical Storm Chantal this summer have all reopened.
The vast amounts of rain dropped by Chantal last July wrecked havoc throughout Chapel Hill. Some of the most significant damage impacted three heavily used greenways in town. The Bolin Creek Trail, which connects Chapel Hill neighborhoods from Community Center Park all the way near downtown, experienced significant erosion. The Morgan Creek Trail near the southern end of town was closed. And on the Fordham Boulevard greenway, pavement was washed away, there was significant erosion, and an approach to the bridge over Bolin Creek disappeared.
The town originally suggested that it would be take at least six months for the Morgan Creek Trail to reopen, at least a year for the Bolin Creek Trail to reopen, and that the Fordham Boulevard greenway would not reopen until a long-delayed project to rebuild and extend the greenway took place. That timeframe to repair these critical transportation links was, of course, disappointing and unacceptable for a community that prioritizes getting around town without relying on a car.
Fortunately, after hearing feedback about these plans from community advocates, town staff took a closer look at the damage and determined that town staff could make temporary fixes that would make it possible to reopen these facilities much sooner than projected, with permanent fixes to follow.
It is exciting to report that all three facilities are open. The first to reopen was the Bolin Creek Trail. We’ve ridden the route, and with the exception of a couple of places where construction barriers narrow the trail for safety reasons, it’s in great shape.
Next, both the Morgan Creek Trail and Fordham Boulevard greenway reopened. The repair work on the Fordham Boulevard greenway was extensive, with numerous rocks added to protect the greenway from erosion, and a new approach to the bridge constructed as shown below.
The team that should be principally thanked for the rapid reopening of these important greenway segments is the town’s public works team, which executed these major projects faster than expected. Thank you! We’d also be remiss if we didn’t note that the change of plans occurred not long after August 11, 2025, when new town manager Ted Voorhees took the reigns. It’s not clear exactly who to credit with the shift in strategy, but we are thankful that our beloved greenway network is once again fully functional.
