New design contract advances neighborhood connections as city pursues recreation, redevelopment and reinvestment
By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
approximately 4,500 feet betweenHolmes and Pratt avenues, including two pedestrian bridges and a gateway trailhead. The broader North Huntsville Greenway vision would connect downtown with Alabama A&M University, supporting recreation and reinvestment in neighbor- hoods along its route.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville has taken another step toward connecting downtown with Alabama A&M University, approving engineering work for a greenway segment that would link the city’s transit center with an expanding pedestrian network.
The city announced Oct. 8 that it entered a contract with Barge Design Solutions Inc. to design approximately 4,500 feet of the North Huntsville Greenway between Holmes Avenue and Pratt Avenue.
Known as Segment C, the section would connect the transit center with the existing Pedestrian Access Redevelopment Corridor, or PARC, greenways along Pinhook Creek. The contract includes surveying, permitting, and design of two precast pedestrian bridges over Dallas Branch and Pinhook Creek, plus a gateway trailhead.
For North Huntsville, the project carries a broader ambition: connecting neighborhoods with downtown and AAMU while creating opportunities for recreation and reinvestment.
“Greenways are one of the smartest investments a city can make,” Mayor Tommy Battle said in a July 21, 2025, city announcement about community engagement.
Battle said greenways connect residents with destinations, encourage healthier lifestyles and help strengthen neighborhoods.
The planning effort predates the latest contract. On Aug. 8, 2024, the city announced that the council authorized an agreement with Lord Aeck Sargent Inc. to develop a master plan for connections from Holmes Avenue to Sparkman Drive.
Dennis Madsen, Huntsville’s manager of urban and long-range planning, described the proposed connection as “an engine for economic development and placemaking” in that announcement.
The broader vision draws inspiration from Atlanta’s BeltLine and seeks to connect the downtown PARC network with the Meek Greenway near AAMU. Potential features include parks, street crossings, public art, and community resources. Those concepts extend beyond the work covered by the latest engineering contract.
Residents have helped shape the project through public workshops, including a 2025 town hall hosted by Councilmember Michelle Watkins. Participants reviewed redevelopment concepts, proposed parks and trail improvements.
“It’s about building community,” Madsen said in the July 2025 announcement, emphasizing residents’ role in guiding the project.
The latest contract work is expected to take two years. That schedule covers engineering and related work, rather than completion of construction. The Oct. 8 announcement did not provide a construction start date, opening date, or contract amount.
The next step is turning the neighborhood vision into detailed designs that can guide development of this section of the greenway.