Work is officially underway on Phase 1 of the Alton Park Connector, a 2.6-mile multiuse trail designed to connect South Chattanooga neighborhoods to the Tennessee Riverwalk. The project will link communities including Alton Park, Clifton Hills, and East Lake to schools, jobs, other parks and essential services through safer walking and biking access. City leaders and the Trust for Public Land recently marked the milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony, celebrating the start of what District 7 Council member Raquetta Dotley described as a long-awaited promise rooted in the area’s Alton Park master plan from more than 25 years ago.

Phase 1 will connect Broad Street to St. Elmo Avenue and introduce a 12-foot-wide concrete trail along a former rail line, complete with improved lighting, signage, wayfinding, and safe railroad crossings. Funded by city resources and a $500,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, this phase is expected to be completed this summer. While it previously faced a setback with the loss of a $20 million EPA grant, additional funding continues to move it forward, including $6.4 million secured for Phase 3 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Alton Park Connector is more than a greenway, it is an investment in health, mobility, and economic opportunity for neighborhoods that need it most.

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