Connecting Alton Park to the Riverwalk — what’s next?
A new section of the Tennessee Riverwalk is finally in the works, after it took over a decade to secure the funding and land for the project.
By William Newlin
Construction on the Alton Park Connector is now underway. The walking and biking trail will link the Tennessee Riverwalk, near the new Lookout’s Stadium, to Southside Community Park.
Nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) has spearheaded the project for over a decade. The full vision is to continue the trail from Southside Community Park all the way to Clifton Hills Elementary. But funding for the final segment fell through when the EPA canceled a $20 million grant that would pay for it last summer.
Still, project partners have $8 million banked for the Alton Park Connector. Government officials, developers, and other community leaders broke ground on the path in December.
In her remarks at the ceremony, City Councilwoman Raquetta Dotley, District 7, said the groundbreaking “represents a long-awaited promise,” cemented in a development guide for the Alton Park neighborhood published in 2000.
“ That plan recognized that strong neighborhoods, pedestrian connectivity, and access to opportunity are essential to Chattanooga’s identity and future,” she said.
What connection means
With the project moving ahead, we spoke with Travis Gladden and Kim Lloyd, who both grew up in Alton Park, to learn how they think the trail will impact South Chattanooga.
Gladden, who said his great-grandmother moved to the area in 1940 or earlier, currently lives in the Villages at Alton Park near Southside Community Park. He runs Tasteful Expressions Catering, which he started in 2015.
Travis Gladden
“We had that conversation a few minutes ago about changes or what do I think will be, you know, better for the community — I think just having that talk with a lot of people and giving them that space in that room to express themselves from that standpoint, I think that will build and do a lot as it comes to the Connector and things that are coming.”
“Just being able to connect all the neighborhoods together, I think that would be interesting.”
Although she moved out of Alton Park a few years ago, Lloyd said she plans to return soon. Still, she’s a common presence at the Bethlehem Center on W. 38th Street, the community space she frequented growing up. Over the summer, she sets up Kim’s Hot Fish outside the Beth to serve plates of her specialty, and Lloyd’s MBD Janitorial service has a cleaning contract there, too.
Kim Lloyd
“What is that walk going to be used for? Is it going to be used by the community? That’s the question. We won’t know until what is actually here.”
“ We got a lot of more areas out here that needs to be taken care of, and the last thing I would’ve thought would be a sidewalk or somewhere to walk.”
“ All we can do is see, but my question is: Is it for the south side or is it for the people that’s moving in the community in the houses?”
Rail to trail
The Connector will repurpose an old rail line, acquired by TPL in 2018. Choosing that site allowed the nonprofit to add South Chattanooga to the city’s growing trail network while avoiding steep environmental cleanup costs of building around the still-polluted Chattanooga Creek.
Losing the $20 million to bring the path all the way to East Lake slowed the “full expression of our trail work” in the area, said Noel Durant, TPL’s state director.
”We were so close, yeah, and we will continue to drive forward with those next phases,” Durant said. “ We know that these are generational investments — that they don’t stop when we hit a roadblock like a grant termination.”
Where the project stands
Phase 1:
- What: Connecting the Borough 33 path to the Riverwalk at St. Elmo Avenue, including a major crossing at Broad Street
- How much: Chattanooga City Council approved a $1.7 million contract for the project, including $500,000 from a state grant
- Status: Underway
Phase 2:
- What: About a third of a mile of pavement next to 33rd Street. Runs from Delong to Broad streets
- How much: Built as part of private Borough 33 apartment development
- Status: Complete
Phase 3:
- What: Connecting the Borough 33 path from its current dead end at DeLong Street to Southside Community Park
- How much: $6.4 million in federal grant dollars
- Status: Not started
Additional trails:
- What: Connecting Southside Community park with Clifton Hills Elementary School
- How much: Included in a $20 million federal grant received by the city and TPL in 2024. After the EPA rescinded the grant last summer, the project went on hold
- Status: Not started
Click here for a detailed visualization of the Alton Park Connector and proposed Clifton Hills Connector trails via Trust for Public Land.
Contact William at william@chattamatters.com
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