The 1.5-mile Noonday Creek Trail extension is the one piece of trail between downtown Woodstock and Cobb County's trail network. In the City of Woodstock's August 2026 capital projects report, it was 90 percent complete with a September 2026 target. The city has moved its completion date more than once since construction started, and each delay traces back to the same cause. The project sits in a creek bottom, and water has set its schedule from the beginning. Across Woodstock's trail plans, the same rule holds: the closer a project sits to a creek, the longer it takes.
What 1.5 Miles Under Highway 92 Connects
Woodstock's Noonday Creek Trail already runs between downtown at Market Street and Highway 92. A bridge over Noonday Creek connects it to Woofstock Dog Park. The separate Towne Lake Pass covers 1.94 miles between Towne Lake and the dog park through Towne Lake Hills South.
The extension goes south from there. According to the city's announcement, it starts at a trailhead near Reformation Brewery and Elm Street Green, passes under Highway 92, and ends at Noonday Creek Park on Shallowford Road in Cobb County. WSB-TV reported that Cobb's own Noonday Creek Trail runs seven miles from the Bell's Ferry Road trailhead to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. When the link opens, the Elm Street side of downtown becomes the north end of a regional trail instead of a dead end at the highway.
The city has a bigger goal in mind. Its 2024 announcement said Cobb County is connecting Noonday Creek Park to the Silver Comet Trail, so riders would eventually be able to "ride your bike from the heart of downtown Woodstock all the way to Alabama." At the December 2023 groundbreaking, Mayor Michael Caldwell said the city would "become the bridge into the rest of Cherokee County through this connection," according to WSB-TV's coverage.
The August report lists a contract sum of $8,480,255.95 for the extension. That makes it by far the largest pedestrian contract in that report. The Towne Lake Parkway widening is listed at $1,492,630.17.
Four Forecasts, One Creek
Construction began in January 2024 near Noonday Creek Park. Here is how the expected finish has moved since:
| When it was said | Who said it | Expected finish |
|---|---|---|
| August 23, 2024 | City of Woodstock | "around this time next year," meaning late summer 2025 |
| June 20, 2025 | City official, via WSB-TV | Spring 2026 |
| March 25, 2026 | Regional travel press | Fall 2026 |
| August 2026 | City capital projects report | September 2026, at 90% complete |
Chris Luly, the city's Capital Improvement Plan administrator, told WSB-TV why the dates keep moving: "Much of the project site is in a low-lying area, so not only do we experience delays during rainfall events, but we also face prolonged site challenges even after the rain has subsided." The station noted that May 2025 brought more than three inches of rain above average.
On a low-lying site, a wet week can stop work well after the sky clears, and the target has moved from late summer 2025 to September 2026. The September 2026 date has now passed. Before you plan a ride to Shallowford Road, check the Greenprints trail page for the current status.
The Same Water Slows the Rest of the Parks Bond
Voters approved Woodstock's Trails & Parks Bond in the November 7, 2023 election. According to the city's bond page, it funds a $24 million program across two phases. The bond projects that follow or cross a creek have run into the same kinds of delays as the Noonday extension.
| Project | Where the water comes in | Latest city status |
|---|---|---|
| Buckhead Crossing Trail | Must cross Noonday Creek | On hold after all spring 2025 bids were rejected over cost and complexity |
| Rubes Creek Trail | Runs along Rubes Creek toward Springfield Park | Waiting on FEMA "No Rise" review, then permitting and bidding, with construction hoped for spring 2027 |
| Little River Park | Riverfront corridor | Under construction, estimated completion spring 2027 |
The city says it is studying ways to cut costs on Buckhead Crossing and looking at other routes across Noonday Creek. Rubes Creek is meant to connect Arnold Mill Road and Highway 92 by way of Springfield Drive, with a pedestrian bridge into Springfield Park. Before construction can be bid, it needs a federal finding that it won't raise flood levels.
Little River Park is the bond's centerpiece. The city says its 110 acres will double Woodstock's greenspace and make it the city's largest park. Plans include about 1.75 miles of concrete and boardwalk trail along the Little River corridor, a pond with fishing and paddle-craft platforms, a playground, pavilions, dog parks, and a main entrance on Trickum Road. The city's September 2026 update reported utility work, concrete trail connections, and the first installation work on the Trickum fishing platform. In July, the city announced that GDOT had awarded $640,000 for preliminary engineering on more than 2,500 feet of Trickum Road sidewalk around the park.
The Projects Away From the Creek Move in Months
The two newest trail contracts show the other side of the pattern. According to the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News, Woodstock City Council voted unanimously to award two contracts to DAF Concrete Inc.:
- A $354,930 contract for an eight-foot multi-use trail on Rope Mill Road, from Inwood Walk north to across from Camelia Place, with stormwater drainage improvements and a traffic-calming island.
- A $154,620 contract for a 10-foot trail connection from Dupree Road to the Noonday Creek Trail.
The paper reported that both projects are expected to finish within 90 days of the city's notice to proceed. City spokesperson Stacy Brown told the Tribune that "the Dupree Road project connects the new Dupree Road Trail to the existing Noonday Creek Trail," and that both are being paid for with parks bond funds.
The Dupree Road Trail is the one the new connector ties into. When the city announced it in October 2025, it described about 1,500 feet of sidewalk and trail linking Market Street to the east side of the I-575 bridge, with connections to Noonday Creek Trail and Cherokee County sidewalks. These projects follow roads and existing pavement, so their schedules are measured in weeks instead of seasons.
The city's August report shows the same thing on the road side. The Main and Elm Street intersection was listed as substantially complete within the previous 90 days, while the creekside extension was still under construction.
Where You Can Ride Before the Link Opens
Until the extension opens, these are the routes to know:
- Noonday Creek Trail, Market Street to Highway 92. Take the bridge over Noonday Creek to Woofstock Dog Park if you have a dog with you.
- Towne Lake Pass. Its 1.94 miles link Towne Lake to the same dog park through Towne Lake Hills South, so the two trails meet there.
- Cobb's Noonday Creek Trail. WSB-TV describes it as running seven miles from the Bell's Ferry Road trailhead to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and Woodstock riders will be able to reach them from downtown once the extension opens.
Spring 2027 is the next date to watch. That is when the city hopes to finish Little River Park and start construction on Rubes Creek, the next two water-adjacent projects on the list.
How close you are to a trailhead can matter a lot when you're thinking about your next home, especially if you're downsizing and want walks you can start from your own front door. If you'd like to talk about which Woodstock streets will be closest to these new connections, Lisa Swann is glad to walk through it with you, at your pace. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever you're ready.
