A project years in the making began moving dirt Monday with the end goal being to link two cities via a 19-mile greenway.

The first 6-mile stretch of the Ecusta Trail will run from South Main Street in Hendersonville to where the old railroad track intersects with U.S. 64 in Horse Shoe.

“It’s a big plus for the community,” Hunter's Glen resident Jim Kelley said.

Once completed, access to the Ecusta Trail will be just down the street from his house.

“We’re looking forward to be able to just walk out your front door and get on the trail and, eventually, when all the trails connect, you’ll be able to spend days out, if you want, exploring the great outdoors," Kelley said.

“It’s been a lot of hard work under an aggressive schedule from a lot of folks with the county, with the Department of Transportation, our local nonprofits, Conserving Carolina and the Friends of the Ecusta,” Henderson County engineer Marcus Jones said.

“We can’t wait to see people out enjoying it, people getting to know their neighbors, getting some exercise, can’t wait to see the businesses that continue to pop up on the trail," Mark Tooley said. "It’s going to be a great community asset.”

Tooley’s been president of the nonprofit Friends of Ecusta Trail for only two years, but he has been involved with the organization for about a decade.

With Conserving Carolina, the nonprofit helped raise millions of dollars to match the nearly $46 million in federal grants.

“Looking forward to the completion of the entire trail to be able to link downtown Hendersonville to downtown Brevard,” Tooley said.

“I hear a lot of positive comments, people are looking forward to it,” Kelley said.

Jones said the first 6-mile stretch will be complete in about a year.

Tooley said the design and engineering work for the remaining 13 miles of the trail in Henderson and Transylvania counties is ongoing.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSConstruction begins on 19-mile greenway connecting Hendersonville and Brevard | WLOS