About the Truman Linear Park Trail
What is it?
Phase 2A of the Truman Linear Park Trail extends from DeRenne Avenue south to Lake Mayer Community Park. This phase of the trail is a concrete multi-use path, with a timber boardwalk section and two bridges. It’s approximately 3 miles long — 4.5 miles including the Lake Mayer Loop Path. The trail provides an ADA accessible, off-road path for recreational and transportation use by residents and visitors. It features lighting for nighttime use, security cameras, and emergency call boxes. The Truman Linear Park Trail is the first segment of the Tide to Town trail network.
How do I get there?
The trail can be accessed by bicycle from the north via Reuben Clark Drive from the east side of the Memorial Health University Center Medical Center campus. A pedestrian-activated traffic control device at DeRenne Avenue allows people who are walking, biking, or rolling to stop motor vehicle traffic to allow safe passage across the street. A trailhead with parking is located at the Scarborough Sports Complex at the Corner of Skidaway Road and Bona Bella Avenue. Another trailhead with parking is located at the northwest corner of Lake Mayer Park. The map below shows an interim on-street route from Police Memorial Trail, which was reconstructed and improved, to the DeRenne Avenue trailhead.
Who is responsible for it?
The need for developing a linear park within the Casey Canal Corridor was first identified in the 1970s. The concept was further developed in the 1992 “Chatham County/Savannah Bikeway Plan,” the 1996 “Chatham County Open Space Plan,” and the 1997 Coastal Georgia Land Trust “Gateway to Coastal Georgia: Connecting the Coast” master plan. The Truman Linear Park Trail received $1,008,000 in federal funding in 2005 from the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.
The Savannah Bicycle Campaign (now known as Bike Walk Savannah) began advocating for trail in 2008 and in 2013 identified it as the organization’s top priority. Bike Walk Savannah was soon joined in this effort by Healthy Savannah and the two nonprofits began building a coalition to advocate for the trail’s construction and support public outreach efforts by the City of Savannah and Chatham County.
Construction of the trail was managed by the Chatham County Department of Engineering, which reached an agreement with the City of Savannah in 2014 to build the project. Over the next several years, Chatham County and City of Savannah hosted multiple public input sessions on the trail’s design and alignment. Chatham County awarded a construction contract to Astra Group and in February 2019 the Georgia Department of Transportation authorized construction to begin. The City of Savannah is responsible for ongoing upkeep and maintenance after final work is completed. A ribbon-cutting for the trail was held on Nov. 19, 2020.
What’s next?
Truman Linear Park Trail Phase 2B will extend north from DeRenne Avenue and connect to the Police Memorial Trail, via 52nd Street. When fully constructed, the Truman Linear Park Trail will be approximately 6 miles long and will link 827 acres of existing park land in Chatham County by connecting Lake Mayer (part of the Bacon Regional Park Tract, which consists of approximately 750 acres) to the City’s 77-acre Daffin Park. Including the Daffin Park trail loop and the Lake Mayor trail loop, the total connected pathway will be approximately 9 miles. Until Phase 2B is completed, the grail
Construction of Phase 2B will be managed by the City of Savannah and pre-construction activities are being coordinated by its Sustainability Department. In 2019 and 2020 the City applied for $3 million in additional funding for the second phase of the trail from revenue generated by the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program. The program dedicates a portion of existing tax revenue collected from the sale of outdoor recreation equipment to “support parks and trails and protect and acquire lands critical to wildlife, clean water and outdoor recreation across the state of Georgia.”
Unfortunately, the Truman Linear Park Trail was not included in the final the list of funded projects in both years. Additional funding sources are being sought. Savannah City Council has approved $1 million for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for use on the Tide to Town Trail network. Additional funding was part of the hotel/motel tax increase approved by Savannah City Council, but was not approved by the Georgia General Assembly at the time.
The increase to hotel/motel tax funding was approved by the Georgia General Assembly in a subsequent push, creating the opportunity for $10 million in funding for Tide to Town and additional funding for pedestrian and bicycle connections in the westside
The Truman Linear Park Trail IIB construction contract was approved at a Feb. 2024 City Council Meeting, and construction is anticipated to begin in 60-90 days.