The Friendly City Trail is open for use!
This shared-use path connects three schools (Harrisonburg High School, Bluestone Elementary School, and Thomas Harrison Middle School), two parks (Hillandale and Westover Parks), and several residential neighborhoods on the west side of Harrisonburg. The path is more than 2 miles from one end to the other and consists of sidewalk and shared-use path improvements that provide connectivity and recreational options to people walking, jogging, and bicycling.
The sidewalk portion of the project was constructed along the east side of Garbers Church Road, connecting the Bluestone Elementary School entrance to Park Lawn Drive. A diagram of the shared-use paths is shown below. An updated map of the completed Friendly City Trail is coming soon.
More information on the path connection to Westover Park [2MB]
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Friendly City Trail shared-use path map [2MB]
November 9, 2017 Public Meeting Materials - initial proposed alignments. Updated alignment in the map above.
Poster 1: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path
Poster 2: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path [1.0MB]
Poster 3: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path [1.5MB]
Poster 4: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path [0.8MB]
Poster 5: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path [3.5MB]
Poster 6: Friendly City Trail Shared Use Path [2.1MB]
Schedule:
- November 2016 – VHB under contract for engineering services
- January 2017 - Citizen Information Meeting to share concepts and receive public input
- Late 2017 – Design Public Hearing to show proposed route and receive feedback
- January 23, 2018 – Presentation to City Council; Public Hearing
- 2019-2020 – Right of way
- Fall/Winter 2020 - Path Name Suggestion Survey
- Spring 2021 – Construction
- Fall 2021 - Path Naming Survey - Vote for Finalists
- November 2021 - Friendly City Trail was chosen by City Council based on feedback from a community survey
- Winter 2021 - Anticipated completion
- May 25, 2022 - Ceremony to Mark Completion of Friendly City Trail [453KB]
Questions? Contact Thomas Hartman, PE at Tom.Hartman@harrisonburgva.gov or 540-434-5928.