American Tobacco Trail closures planned in Wake County for drainage work
Drainage work will trim access on the American Tobacco Trail through June 12, including a two-day shutdown of the New Hill parking area on New Hill-Olive Chapel Road.
Portions of the American Tobacco Trail in Wake County are closing for drainage improvements, creating a practical detour for walkers, runners and bike commuters who rely on the corridor every day. Wake County said the work began Monday, April 20, and runs through June 12 at multiple locations along the trail, with some stretches seeing partial or complete closures while crews are on site.
The sharpest disruption falls on the New Hill parking area on New Hill-Olive Chapel Road, which is scheduled to close for two days. That lot matters because it serves one of the trail’s key access points in southwestern Wake County, and it can accommodate both personal vehicles and equestrian trailers. Other access points in the Wake County portion of the trail include Wimberly and White Oak Church, giving regular users some alternatives while the drainage work continues.
Wake County said the trail will not be fully off-limits during the project. Visitors can still use it, but they will need to follow instructions from on-site personnel. That creates a temporary balance between access and maintenance: the county is keeping one of the region’s most used recreation and commuting routes open where it can, while limiting entry where crews need room to fix drainage problems that can lead to washouts, standing water and more serious damage later.
The American Tobacco Trail is a 22-plus-mile regional rails-to-trails corridor that crosses Wake, Chatham and Durham counties. The Town of Cary describes it as a 23-mile rail trail built on an abandoned railroad corridor, running from the western edge of Apex toward downtown Durham. Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy says the route followed the former New Hope Valley Railroad, later the Durham and South Carolina Railroad, and that a master plan for the trail was prepared in 1992.
The trail’s history shows how long the corridor has taken shape in stages. The first 3.2-mile section opened in Durham on June 3, 2000. Since then, the American Tobacco Trail has become a daily route for exercise, weekend outings and local travel, which is why even limited closures in Wake County ripple beyond the work zone and into the routines of nearby neighborhoods and trailheads.
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