Swamp Rabbit Trail nears completion

Recent improvements to the Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Tram Trail, which runs near the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house near the South Housing entrance to campus, have made it a relevant upcoming option for student outdoor recreation.According to the Greenville Hospital System website, the trail is currently under construction and not open to the public. However, there are portions totaling four miles within city limits that can be used until otherwise noted.

The trail is named after the rail line that previously ran behind campus. Community leaders and the Greenville County Recreation District have taken steps after the rail corridor was abandoned in 1993 to preserve the Swamp Rabbit area and make it accessible for residents of the greater Greenville area.

The Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit "is the first project of a county-wide greenways system," said Ty Houck '93, Conservation and Greenways Department Administrator for the Greenville County Recreation District, in an e-mail statement.

Houck, who has been in his position since its creation 15 months ago, continued, "Swamp Rabbit is the preservation of a 10-mile rail corridor whose interim use is for a greenway corridor extending over 17 miles through Travelers Rest, Furman [and] Greenville and eventually extending beyond the boundaries of Greenville County."

The trail touches numerous locations around campus including the lake, Duncan Chapel and Old Roe Ford Roads. Furman provided the funding for these access areas.

Houck said, "Furman has been a tremendous support in so many ways. The university sees great opportunities in providing a pedestrian-oriented transportation network for Greenville County."

He added, "I see Furman being one of the primary destinations of users on the trail and see students using it as a way to meet friends at Leopard Forest Coffee or to take their parents down to the Liberty Bridge."

The trail will become part of a larger system in the future eventually connecting with other trails that run from Maine to Florida in an effort to urge people to discover the greenery around them.

Houck said that paving from Travelers Rest to Willard Street would begin soon; hopefully utilizing asphalt made from used tires. The program called Asphalt Rubber Technology Services would, "remove 1000 tires from landfills for every mild constructed."

National averages for greenway construction put the cost at about $400,000 per mile, but Houck said, "we are working with the community to be responsible stewards of the taxpayer's money and construct the 10-mile northern section for just under one million."

The funding will come from hospitality tax, grants and donors. The public is also invited to purchase a section of the trail as a Greenways Partner.

For more information on how to become a Greenways Partner or up to date information on the construction of the trail, visit the website at http://www.gcrd.org/swamprabbit/index.html.