Niokaska Creek Trail crossing at Azalea Terrace / Staff photos

Construction of Niokaska Creek Trail is in the home stretch.

Crews are currently working on the final section of trail between Old Wire Road and Azalea Terrace.

Once complete, the trail will connect Gulley Park to Mud Creek Trail and the city’s main trail system. From the park, it will travel northeast alongside Niokaska Creek towards Crossover Road. From there, it leads under Old Wire Road at the intersection of Crossover, and continues north with the creek through Sweetbriar Park before heading west on a path on the north side of Sweetbriar Drive to connect with Mud Creek Trail at Old Missouri Road about a half mile north of Butterfield Trail Elementary.

The project began in May 2018 when crews added a side path along Sweetbriar Drive between Old Missouri and Sweetbriar Park.

Another major obstacle was cleared last November when a 100-foot-long trail bridge was installed over Niokaska Creek just north of the intersection of Crossover and Old Wire.

The final stretch includes paving a recently cleared path through the wooded area adjacent to Fayetteville Fire Station No. 5 to the neighborhood area along Azalea Terrace. From there, the trail will cross Azalea and connect to an older 10-foot asphalt path that leads to the east side of Gulley Park (see map below).

Matt Mihalevich, the city’s trails coordinator, said the existing 10-foot path between Azalea and the park will eventually be replaced with a 12-foot concrete trail and lighting will be added to this section as well as the entire length of Niokaska Creek Trail.

Mihalevich said that the goal is to have the project wrapped up and ready to ride by late summer.