Ocmulgee trail to expand presence in Macon

When discussions about creating an urban trail system along the Ocmulgee River started in the mid-1990s, there were doubts about whether it would attract enough people to be viable.

But on Wednesday, nearly 20 years later, various Macon-Bibb County, economic development and recreation officials celebrated plans for the latest addition to the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail — a 2-mile stretch connecting Riverside Cemetery with Amerson River Park. The expansion is an example of the popularity of the trail and Amerson River Park, which seemed unlikely to some nearly two decades ago, officials said during Wednesday’s news conference.

Today, well over 200,000 people a year use the Heritage Trail — which is commonly referred to as Macon’s riverwalk — and visit Amerson River Park.

“At that time, it was incredibly controversial, and people said ‘it wouldn’t work and nobody would use it,’” said Josh Rogers, president and chief executive officer of NewTown Macon. “It’s really been an incredible transformation.”

The first section of the trail — from the Otis Redding Bridge to Spring Street — was built in 2001 with funding help from the Peyton Anderson Foundation. The trail remains a public-private partnership of agencies and government, including the state Department of Natural Resources and Macon-Bibb County, which manages the trail as a public park.

The funding for this next expansion includes $230,000 from a NewTown Macon fund, made up of grants and donations, and a recent $92,000 grant awarded by the federal Department of Natural Resources. The trail also ties into a $2.3 million sewer main project being led by the Macon Water Authority, which has infrastructure along the river’s corridor.

Once completed, the trail will run along neighborhoods including the future Mill Hill Arts Village near Coliseum Drive, downtown and intown, Pleasant Hill and Shirley Hills. Riverside Cemetery should have more visitors after this expansion, said Steve Bell, director of the Historic Riverside Cemetery Conservancy.

“Every day our parking lot is full of people coming to walk, coming to jog, coming to bike,” he said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation’s improvements along Interstates 75 and 16 in Macon should also benefit the trail.

“I-16 and I-75 will include a pedestrian crossing to go through the interchange so people can bike from Ocmulgee to Amerson,” Mayor Robert Reichert said.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Ocmulgee trail to expand presence in Macon."