Piedmont Greenway Master Plan - Town of Kernersville

• As an alternative, the south side of the West Mountain Street corridor could be used if the NCDOT or
the Norfolk Southern railroad right-of-ways could not be obtained.
• Most of Reedy Fork Creek has a gentle elevated bank on the east side which may be used for future
trail development.
• Numerous adjacent city parks, regional parks, farms, rivers, creeks, wetlands and historic and cultural
sites provide environmental, historic and scenic interest.
• Most road and railroad crossings are grade separated by bridge, others will use existing box culverts
and or underpasses; some may have historic significance.
• Some parts of the corridor are highly suitable for trail development due to the nearly flat, elevated
slopes, making grading and other trail preparation unnecessary.
• Canoe access can easily be provided at Piedmont Greenway trailheads. Salem Lake, Lake Higgins,
and Lake Brandt are excellent canoeing resources.
• Natural Heritage sites exist along Moore’s Creek where trail users will be able to observe flora and
fauna of the area without disturbing the sites. Blue heron, turtles, kingfishers and other birds, reptiles
and fish were sighted during the inventory.
• The location of the Piedmont Greenway is in close proximity to many suburban areas of central
Forsyth and Guilford Counties, while also linking trail users to the Triad Park and other destination
points.
• Many schools and community centers are located within the Piedmont Greenway corridor, offering
alternative modes of transportation to these sites and opportunities for environmental education.
• Both the Reedy Fork and Moore’s Creek corridor are rich in local history and culture. Many nearby
sites could be interpreted with displays and markers along the Piedmont Greenway.
• Parking areas at existing Salem Lake, Triad Park, Lake Higgins and the various schools along the
corridor are excellent, and provide ample parking space for a diverse set of trail users, including
people with limited abilities and even equestrian users in designated areas.
Constraints:
• An existing box culvert that crosses under Business Interstate 40 will have to be retrofitted
and the use will have to be approved by the NCDOT. A boardwalk or other flood prone
trail will have to be built on the southern side to allow users access to the box culvert.
• The southern West Mountain Street corridor would involve a significant number of
private land owners who may not grant easements on their property. There are numerous
pedestrian/vehicluar conflicts with the existing driveways for the private residents.
Facility Development and Use
The level of facility development and use for a greenway corridor could vary significantly. Some
might contain paved trails for walking, bicycling, rollerblading, and cross-country skiing while others
would feature unpaved trails for multiple or single uses. Some may not contain trails. Moreover,
levels of facility development and use could vary within individual corridors. During the
second series of community workshops, participants were asked to complete a corridor-use survey
to determine what they felt were the most appropriate levels of use for the primary greenway corridors.
The detailed results of this survey are provided later in this chapter, and they indicate a need
and willingness for a planned trail system. Levels of development and use should be assigned to
specific corridors based on more detailed studies of each, and further community involvement.
Level 1: No facility development
This designation would apply to corridors containing environmentally sensitive areas, steep
slopes, wetlands or other constraints that make greenway facility development undesirable or
impossible. The corridor would remain primarily in a natural state and human access would be extremely
limited. Other functions for these corridors would include floodplain management, water
quality protection and conservation of important habitat for wildlife and plants.
The restoration of stream banks and renegotiation of
natural areas may be necessary to facilitate a multi-objective
corridor. Restoration and renegotiation activity may be
required along those greenways containing trails and other
facilities as well in order to maximize water quality, wildlife
habitat and other functions of Level 2 through Level 4
greenway corridors.
Level 2: Limited development, low impact uses
This designation would apply to corridors containing
environmentally sensitive areas that limit the extent of
greenway facility development. The corridor would remain
primarily in a natural state, with gravel or dirt trails
(4 to 6 feet wide) for use by one or two low impact user groups such as hikers and/or equestrians.
PIEDMONT GREENWAY
Final Master Plan Report 23