Gwinnett OKs plan for $1B trail network

County says funding will likely be from variety of sources.

Gwinnett officials have adopted the master plan they hope will guide the creation of a 320-mile, $1 billion trail network throughout the county.

The plan, which was approved Tuesday by the county commission, includes nine signature trails that officials hope will be built in the coming years (and decades). Those signature trails include:

■ Western Gwinnett Bikeway, which would stretch 18 miles from Sugar Hill to Peachtree Corners and on to the DeKalb County line

■ Harbins Greenway, which would run more than 17 miles and connect parks near Grayson and Loganville (Harbins, Bay Creek and Tribble Mill)

■ Ivy Creek Greenway near Buford and the Mall of Georgia

■ “Ivy Creek to Snellville Trail”

■ Loop Trail, which would connect the Gwinnett Place and McDaniel Farm Park areas to the Infinite Energy Center and to Suwanee’s trail system

■ “Norcross to Lilburn Trail”

■ Piedmont Pathway, which would stretch across the width of the county, from Dacula to Norcross

■ Sugar Hill Greenway

■ Suwanee Creek Greenway

The county is also discussing its possible contributions to the proposed Chattahoochee Trail Network, a 100-mile trail along the river from the Buford Dam to Newnan that would require partnerships across the region.

Officials said Gwinnett has met with the National Park Service and surrounding cities to explore ways to help build the trail.

The county said funding for the trail projects will likely come from a variety of sources, include SPLOST, city contributions, community improvement districts, state and federal funds, nonprofits and private developers. About $16 million from the county’s 2017 SPLOST program has already been allocated, and officials estimate about $100 million could be raised by additional SPLOSTs (if they’re approved) through 2040.