Greater Belhaven Foundation Awarded $440,000 MDOT Grant to Construct New Multi-Use Trail on Peachtree Street

On Tuesday, January 28th, MDOT announced the largest grant award ever received by the Greater Belhaven Foundation. Through the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside Program, GBF has been awarded $440,000 to construct a new multi-use trail on Peachtree Street.

Each day, hundreds of Jackson Public Schools (JPS), Belhaven University, and University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) staff and students walk the stretch of Peachtree Street connecting Woodrow Wilson to Riverside Drive. With no sidewalk on the western side of this road, many people walk in the street, creating a significant safety concern for pedestrians and drivers alike. Recent Riverside Drive renovations spearheaded by GBF include a 12-foot multi-use trail, making the pedestrian commute easier to multiple schools and workplaces.

To continue this momentum, GBF applied for a grant to remedy the safety issue on Peachtree Street with the installation of an additional section of 12-foot multi-use trail, stretching from the intersection of Peachtree and Riverside Drive to Woodrow Wilson. The new trail segment will include a pedestrian bridge over Belhaven Creek and connect the sidewalk to the Woodrow Wilson pocket park and walking trail.

GBF facilitated a use agreement between JPS and the City of Jackson for the trail's construction and maintenance. The new trail will provide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between the existing Riverside Drive multi-use trail and the UMMC campus, and will also provide additional connectivity to the City of Jackson's Woodrow Wilson pocket park, the Old Canton Road trail system, the Museum Trail system, Laurel Street Park, Belhaven Heights Park, and the Belhaven Mountain Biking Trails. It will also provide alternate transport connections from Jackson State to Meadowbrook Road. JPS owns the land on which this trail will be built and has provided a construction easement to facilitate this trail development and support the safety of their students and staff.

JPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Michael Cormack said on the award, "We are elated that the Greater Belhaven Foundation has been awarded this grant to create a walking and biking path on Peachtree Street. This project will enhance the green spaces near our campuses and improve the safety of our scholars at Wells APAC and Murrah High School and pedestrians in this vital medical corridor."