Construction entrances now sit at Cleland Drive and Walnut Street, and a silt fence is going in from Walnut Street to Willow Drive. Crews have been clearing trees and brush along Fordham Boulevard since mid-October. The asphalt path that ran beside the road between Cleland Drive and Ridgefield Road is closed while the contractor works. For now, it reopens in the evening once crews finish for the day.
So for now, the closure depends on the time of day more than the date. A run at 7 p.m. may still go through. A 10 a.m. walk to the Community Center needs another route. The Town has said a day-and-night closure is coming and will post the date when it has one. Once that starts, your daytime backup becomes your only route for the rest of the project. The two closest backups start from Chapel Hill Community Center Park, so it helps to learn those trails now.
Two schedules on one path
The Town of Chapel Hill hired Lanier Construction for the job and awarded the bid on July 1, 2026. In its September 15 notice, the Town said Lanier expected to break ground as soon as September 28 and to keep working for about a year. It also warned that the existing asphalt path between Cleland Drive and Ridgefield Road was not expected to be passable during construction.
That warning has played out in stages. The Town's October 14 notice said tree clearing would start October 15 between Cleland Drive and the bridge over Bolin Creek. It told path users to find other routes, since the stretch from Cleland to Ridgefield would be closed during working hours "for the foreseeable future," and said the contractor would reopen it at the end of the day when that was safe. As of the Town's November 2 weekly update, here's where things stand:
- Crews are finishing the construction entrances, including the silt fence from Walnut Street to Willow Drive.
- Depending on equipment schedules, a lane on Fordham Boulevard may close so crews can take down large trees between Estes Drive and Ridgefield Road.
- The Town and the contractor are asking everyone to obey trail-closure signs and barricades.
The Town's September notice said it doesn't expect traffic impacts on Fordham Boulevard itself. It will announce any temporary lane closures on side streets ahead of time. The Town posts weekly updates on the Fordham Boulevard Sidepath project page, and that's where the day-and-night closure date will appear.
Daytime routes start at the Community Center lot
The Community Center sits near one end of the construction zone. It's also where three town trails meet, and the lot at Community Center Park is the listed parking for two of them. If you used the Fordham path for a daily loop, the simplest change is to start there.
| Trail | Surface and length | Where it goes | Listed parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolin Creek Trail | 10-foot paved, about 1.5 to 2 miles | Community Center to Umstead Park, linking to Tanyard Branch toward Northside and downtown | Community Center Park, Umstead Park, Bolinwood Drive |
| Battle Branch Trail | Natural surface, 1.5 miles | Community Center Park to Bolin Creek Trail and the UNC campus | Community Center Park; no parking at the campus greenway weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Lower Booker Creek Trail | Paved, 0.8 mile | Nearby neighborhoods to Eastgate Shopping Center | Accessible parking at Daley Road; limited parking at Markham Drive |
| Dry Creek Trail | Rugged, steep natural surface, 1.2 miles | East Chapel Hill High School to the Silver Creek and Springcrest neighborhoods | Cedar Falls Park |
Bolin Creek Trail is the closest match to what the Fordham path offered: the same 10-foot paved width and room for strollers, bikes and runners side by side. It's also had a hard couple of years. The Local Reporter reported that it reopened on November 7, 2025, after repairs from Tropical Storm Chantal. The same report described a narrowed stretch between Umstead Drive and Bolinwood Drive while the Town designed longer-term repairs. If you push a double stroller or ride with a trailer, plan around that stretch.
Battle Branch Trail is a different kind of outing. It's dirt rather than pavement, and it runs from Community Center Park up to the UNC campus. On weekdays, park at the Community Center. Parking at the campus greenway is off-limits from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so starting from the campus end at midday doesn't work.
Lower Booker Creek Trail suits people who used the Fordham path to reach stores. Its 0.8 paved miles end at Eastgate Shopping Center. Dry Creek Trail, on the far side of town from Cedar Falls Park, is for anyone who wants steep and rugged ground.
For a long weekend outing, Carolina North Forest
On Saturday mornings, when the Fordham path is most likely to be open anyway, the bigger draw is just north of town. UNC Facilities Services' trail status page for Carolina North Forest showed every trail open as of late October 2026. The forest covers 750 acres of woods on the Carolina North campus between Chapel Hill and Carrboro. It's also known as the Horace Williams Tract.
UNC's visitor rules are short. The forest is open dawn to dusk every day of the year, pets must be leashed, and motorized vehicles aren't allowed. By mid-November, dusk comes early, so check the time before starting a late-afternoon hike.
What a year of closures buys
The Fordham path is worth waiting for because the finished version will be longer than the old one, not just newer.
The old asphalt path ran about 1,700 feet, from Cleland Drive to Ridgefield Road. Under the 2026 bid, crews will rebuild that stretch in concrete. Then they'll add about 1,800 feet of new 10-foot concrete path from Ridgefield Road to Willow Drive, roughly doubling its length. The bid also covers drainage, signs, striping and stream-bank stabilization. On the new section between Ridgefield and Willow, the project page lists traffic calming, landscaping and a noise-reducing fence along the road.
Reaching Willow Drive is what turns a strip beside the highway into a way to get somewhere. In its September 17 announcement, the Town said the new path will improve access to Blue Hill, University Place, the Chapel Hill Community Center and Rainbow Soccer Fields. That links the park where the daytime trails start with the shopping and dining district at the other end. In the Town's announcement, Mobility and Greenways Manager Bergen Watterson put the tradeoff plainly:
"We know the path is in important part of the daily routines of many community members. We believe everyone's patience during this closure will pay off in the long run when this great new connection is open and available to all."
The Town expects crews to finish and open the path by winter 2027. The $2.4 million project is paid for mostly with federal transportation money, and 2024 general obligation bonds cover the required local match. It's part of the Town's Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways network and supports its Vision Zero goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2031.
The next piece is nearly designed
The Bolin Creek Trail you may be using as a daytime backup is due to get longer too. The Town's proposed Bolin Creek Greenway Extension would add about half a mile of paved trail from Umstead Park toward Estes Drive Extension. In September 2026 the design was nearly 90 percent complete, and the Town expects it to be ready to bid in spring 2027, with construction starting soon after. If both schedules hold, a regular walker could finish this year of detours with longer paved trails at both ends of the Community Center loop than they had when the detours began.
Until the Fordham path opens, here's a simple plan. Use the Fordham path in the evening while it's still open after work hours. By day, start at the Community Center Park lot. When the Town posts the day-and-night closure date, the Community Center trails become your full-time route.
Paying attention to things like trail connections and construction timelines is part of how Erica Berry helps clients understand how daily life works on a particular street, whether that's near Blue Hill, Ridgefield Road or the Community Center. If the new Fordham path is part of how you're thinking about your next move in Chapel Hill, Erica would be glad to talk through what it could mean for you. Let's Connect.
