Work on downtown New Albany bike trail connection nears completion

New Albany, MS- Work is nearing completion on a project in downtown New Albany that is converting an open storm sewer into an extended part of the Tanglefoot Trail.

Workers for the Paul Smithey Construction Company of Tupelo had only about 80 more feet of concrete to pour as of late afternoon Thursday, October 27th.  They expect to be through with that part of the project by quitting time Friday, October 28th.

Work has already begun on installing a new box culvert under Main Street, below the new steel foot bridge completed last year, which carries the Tanglefoot Trail over Main Street. It is believed that work, weather permitting, will be finished by mid-November.

Formerly an open storm sewer, a prime breeding place for mosquitoes, the big ditch had been an eyesore in downtown New Albany for many years.

Work is underway on box culvert installation under Main St.

A $100,000 grant last year, money that passed through Mississippi state government as a grant to the City of New Albany, made the work possible.

The new 500 feet of pavement will connect the Tanglefoot Trail to New Albany’s Park-Along-the-River and its bike paths. A round-trip on Tanglefoot Trail from New Albany to Houston is currentlly about 88 miles. Connecting to the new bike paths will move it closer to being a “century ride” — one hundred miles for hikers and bikers.

For more information about the “Century Ride”