Dunn Creek Greenway
Snapshot
Location
This trail begins at the Smith Creek Soccer Center, 690 Heritage Lake Road, and runs north to the pedestrian culvert under NC-98 Bypass/Dr. Calvin Jones Highway.
Trail Type
Paved and boardwalk trail
Length
1.0 mile
Parking
Parking is available at the Smith Creek Soccer Center, 690 Heritage Lake Road
Amenities
A playground, picnic shelter and parking are located within the park. Portable restrooms are also available.
History
In 2005, area voters approved $500,000 in bond proceeds for trail construction. Wake Forest also received $450,000 for the project from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A 1 mile segment of greenway trail from the Smith Creek Soccer Center to the NC 98/Dr Calvin Jones Highway was completed in 2012.
Greenway users have the opportunity to experience views of aquatic and wetland life along portions of Smith Creek and Hatters Branch as well as enjoy the shade of dense evergreen and deciduous forests.
Tom Stoddard memorial benches were installed in the spring 2013. Mr. Stoddard was an advocate for the Wake Forest greenways and devoted many hours to keeping the Dunn Creek Greenway looking it's best even when it was under construction. After his passing in 2013, Mr. Stoddard's family wanted to honor his memory by placing benches along the Dunn Creek Greenway.
In 2011 the Town was awarded a grant for design, ROW acquisition, and construction for Dunn Creek Greenway Phase II - Downtown Connector. This new segment add 0.3 miles to the northern portion of Dunn Creek Greenway. It provides connections to Deacons Ridge, Cardinal Park and easy access to downtown Wake Forest. Construction was completed in September 2017 and this segment is now open for public use.
More recently in 2022, Wake Forest citizens voted on and approved $14.35 million in greenway improvements as part of the 2022 Bond Referendum. This funding will help expand both the Dunn Creek Greenway and Smith Creek Greenway networks. Specifically for Dunn Creek Greenway, the construction of Phase III and Phase IV was awarded to Crowder Construction. The construction for both of these phases are expected to start in early November 2024 with the project expected to be completed by early 2026.
Phase 3
This section of greenway will start at the existing terminus of the Dunn Creek Greenway north of NC-98. This alignment will connect the existing greenway alignment to Ailey Young Park as well as connecting to the existing greenway network constructed with Traditions. This project will be adding 1.8 miles of greenway to the Dunn Creek network.
The Notice to Proceed was set on December 2nd, 2024 granting Crowder Construction and its subcontractors the ability to start construction. This Phase is expected to take no longer than 480 days, which has the project completion set for March 26th, 2026. The project consists of a crossing over Wait Avenue (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons to be installed at crossing for safe pedestrian crossing) and a few stream crossings. The footbridges over these will be constructed with precast concrete boardwalk systems, known as Permatrak, versus a wooden option to reduce slipping conditions when wet and help with long-term stability.
Phase 4
This section of greenway will have multiple connection points to existing greenway. It will ultimately connect Flaherty Park, Orchards at Traditions, Flaherty Farms, and the Del Webb community to the Dunn Creek Greenway, with the addition of 0.62 miles of new greenway.
The Notice to Proceed has not be set yet for this Phase, however, it is expected to take no longer than 300 days. This Phase must be completed before, or by the final day of Phase III, which is expected to be finished by March 26th, 2026. Although this Phase does not consist of a road crossing, it does include a stream crossing like Phase III which will have a footbridge constructed of the same material.
Construction Drawings for both Phase III and Phase IV can be found on the Town's IDT Website. You will need to create a login, but then you can search "Dunn Creek Greenway Phase X" to find the construction drawings. If you experience any issues doing this, please reach out to the Project Manager, Nick Nolte, for assistance.
