About the Plan
Plan Overview
Trails and greenways provide important mobility, recreational, economic, and health opportunities for the regions, communities, and people that access them. This plan is a chance for communities throughout southeast North Carolina to voice their vision for how trails and greenways should connect their region- both to other communities in the region and to national and state trails, like the Mountains-to-Sea trail and East Coast Greenway, that run through the study area.
The project team will work with community, institutional, and agency stakeholders to: identify existing and proposed trails and greenways in each COG and the region; make recommendations for corridors to complete these trails based on opportunities and constraints; develop a prioritized list of trail segments; and identify preferred trail alignments for each COG and the region as a whole. The focus of this plan will be on improvements that can be made in the near term (i.e., one to five years).
Plan Objectives
- Understand the vision of each community for greenways and trails in their region
- Collect and analyze data on existing trails and trails proposed in local and regional plans
- Identify prioritization criteria to rank tail segments as future projects
- Create an implementation plan that matches priority projects with funding sources and implementation partners
Study Area
The study area covers four councils of governments: Cape Fear, Mid-Carolina, Lumber River, and Eastern Carolina. The area also includes several Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Rural Planning Organizations, counties, cities, and towns.
Cape Fear Council of Governments
- Brunswick County
- Columbus County
- New Hanover County
- Pender County
Lumber River Council of Governments
- Bladen County
- Hoke County
- Richmond County
- Robeson County
- Scotland County
Mid-Carolina Council of Governments
- Cumberland County
- Harnett County
- Sampson County
Eastern Carolina Council of Governments
- Carteret County
- Craven County
- Duplin County
- Greene County
- Jones County
- Lenoir County
- Onslow County
- Pamlico County
- Wayne County

Schedule
The Southeast Council of Governments Regional Trails Plan is scheduled for completion in early fall 2020, with opportunities for public engagement throughout the process.
Phase 1 – Review Existing Conditions & Collect Data - Fall 2019
Phase 2 – Planning Analysis and Community Outreach - Fall 2019-Spring 2020
Phase 3 – Develop Implementation Plan and Final Report – Summer-Fall 2020
Study Team
The project’s core team is responsible for coordinating, organizing, and analyzing materials. The project team will also work with a regional advisory group, COG representatives, and other local and regional stakeholders throughout the process.
Project Team
- Division of Parks and Recreation
- VHB
- McAdams