CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There’s nothing like the smell of fresh air, and now more people in Charlotte are pushing for greener and cleaner options.
"You have just a couple of parks so they get crowded and you can't find a spot," resident Sabrina Garner told WCNC Charlotte.
Officials with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation said greenways are the number one requested amenity, and currently they have more than 16 miles of green space under construction.
This is the county’s largest amount of greenway construction at one time.
"What we hear from a lot of residents that use our trails is the sooner the better," Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Capital Planning Division Director Bert Lynn said.
Lynn said they saw the need for increasing or accelerating the rate at which the department can build and complete the county's greenway trails.
Along with the 16.4 miles of greenway currently under construction, an additional 15.6 miles are under design right now.
Eight of those miles are expected to begin construction this year, breaking off into three new greenway projects.
"Irwin Creek Greenway is 2.2 miles, McDowell Creek greenway is 2.5 miles. and Sugar Creek Greenway is 3.3 miles,' Lynn said.
The projects cost more than $5 million, with the Sugar Creek Greenway averaging more than $14 million.
Officials say each project takes roughly 10 to 12 months to complete. The first project will kick off this April, giving more people access to a healthier lifestyle.
"I am so happy, I love dogs and my dogs love the park too so it's great news," Garner said.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.