Downtown Anniston excited to see Chief Ladiga Trail expansion

ANNISTON, Ala. ( WIAT ) – A project decades in the making is underway in Anniston. The city hopes to see the expansion of the Chief Ladiga Trail completed by summer 2025.

When the expanded section of the Chief Ladiga Trail opens, it will run right into the heart of downtown Anniston, making it the longest pedestrian pathway in the country.

“The Ladiga comes from Jacksonville and Piedmont where it continues further and connects to Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail,” Anniston public relations director Jackson Hodges said. “It will form over 100 miles of paved pedestrian pathway.”

The city of Anniston says each year, Chief Ladiga Trail and Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail average around 33,000 people walking and cycling in the more populated areas of the trails. With this expansion, the city hopes all of those people will funnel right into the downtown district.

“It’s really going to put Anniston on the map,” Hodges said. “It’s something that I think we can all be proud of and we’re going to find a way to lift up every area of our community through this project.”

Some downtown business owners think this trail expansion is a great idea and love that it will bring more foot traffic to the district.

“Anniston sometimes gets a raw deal. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on here,” Larry May, owner of CD Cellar, said. “Our downtown is growing by leaps and bounds, as far as bringing in new business and retaining old business, so I think anything that will bring them down here, because I believe that downtowns are the heartbeat of every city.”

Beyond a boom in business, some people from the area hope the trail expansion also brings a boom in people getting out and enjoying nature.

“Exercise in general is a great idea, getting outside,” Jacksonville resident Holdan Wilson said. “It’s definitely something I would consider going out on more. I’m just in Jacksonville mainly but it’s something I would definitely check out.”

Overall, the city estimates the project will cost around $7 million.

“We were able to take out a couple bonds and maximize parts of our Rescue Act funds the federal government had issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a part of that, this is people’s tax dollars at work, which is guaranteed to bring tourism revenue and tax dollars back into the system,” Hodges said. “Using the citizen’s finances, we try to be good stewards of that and whenever we use them, we want it to be something we can generate revenue.”

The city says connecting people with the outdoors and becoming more walkable has been a goal for years.

“Being outdoors is something that transcends all the barriers that we see today, in today’s world, and getting back to that simple purpose and simple existence,” Hodges said. “I think it’s how you refocus, not only ourselves but our community as a collective.”

The city posts monthly updates of the trail’s construction progress HERE .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.