The newly completed sidewalk along New Haw Creek Road marks the culmination of a decades-long effort by HCCA and Haw Creek residents to improve pedestrian safety, accessibility, and connectivity in our neighborhood, with advocacy for safer walking conditions dating back to the early 2000s.
The project was included in Asheville’s transportation bond program, approved by voters in 2016, and advanced through years of design work, property negotiations, utility coordination and permitting.
In May 2019, Asheville City Council approved additional design services and an amendment to the project’s design agreement. In October 2024, Council approved a construction contract of up to $2.94 million, plus a $294,090 contingency. Construction began in February 2025, with an estimated 18-month construction period.
The completed project adds approximately one mile of six-foot-wide sidewalk between Beverly Road and Bell Road. Improvements also include crosswalks, accessible ramps, drainage infrastructure, stormwater piping, water-line relocation, retaining walls, utility relocations and roadway repaving.
Most importantly, the new sidewalk improves pedestrian connections to neighborhood destinations, including Haw Creek Elementary School, Evergreen Community Charter School and Charlie Bullman Park.
For residents who advocated for the project over many years, its completion is an important milestone in making the neighborhood safer and more accessible for pedestrians.
