Parking issues for people wanting to use the Swan Creek Greenway trailhead off U.S. 72 may soon be a thing of the past.

During Monday’s meeting, the Athens City Council unanimously approved work to begin on a project that will extend the trailhead and add a parking lot behind Railroad Bazaar. The parking lot will give trail users a place to safely stow their vehicles.

Mayor Ronnie Marks told The News Courier in August that many people using the trail currently park illegally near U.S. 72 on land that is neither an easement or in the right of way.

“People using the trail will be able to park there, walk under the 72 bridge, hit the trailhead and go all the way to the Sportsplex,” Marks said. “It’s a safety issue. Adding the parking lot will make the area a whole lot safer, and getting in and out will be easier.”

Funding for the project will come from a $200,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

City Engineer Michael Griffin told the Council on Monday that only one company, Grayson Carter and Son Construction Inc., submitted a bid on the proposed project. The bid was above the grant amount, but Griffin said since there was only one bidder, the city could negotiate terms of the contract.

“For $160,000, we will get a new roadway connected to our parking area that will be curbed, guttered and bindered,” he said. “In addition to that will be the base of the parking lot with the undercutting. That amount will cover those items, and the city will be responsible for the remaining items, such as paving the parking lot.”

Councilman Wayne Harper asked Griffin if his department knew about how much the remainder of the project would cost. Griffin said he did not at this time, but multiple options exist.

Griffin said the city itself could do some of the work or potentially rebid the remainder of the project around January to perhaps gain more interest. He told the council that he hoped the project would begin this fall and be completed by next spring, “if we’re lucky.”

Marks said the Swan Creek Greenway trailhead will eventually become part of the Singing River Trail, an effort to connect Athens, Madison and Huntsville with trails and other features along the Tennessee River.