The grading in the field across West Division Street from Mt. Juliet Elementary is a trailhead parking lot. It belongs to Phase 3 of the Town Center Trail, which is the only greenway in Mt. Juliet under construction right now. The other big trail project on the city's list is the Cedar Creek Greenway extension toward Lebanon Road. As of the September 2026 District 4 commissioner newsletter, it was still in final design and waiting on TDOT approval.
So for about the next year, the city's trail network grows in one place. The west side gets longer and gains a protected crossing on one of the city's busiest streets. Cedar Creek stays what it is today, a short loop-back walk from Charlie Daniels Park.
The Work Across From Mt. Juliet Elementary
Phase 3 adds a 10-foot-wide greenway from S. Greenhill Road to Mt. Juliet Elementary School. It also adds a trailhead across the street from the school, so students from Willoughby Station and other nearby neighborhoods can walk to class. Kimley-Horn is the engineer, Adams Contracting is the contractor, and the phase costs $2,912,720. A $2,330,176 federal grant covers 80% of that, and the city pays the other 20%.
The concrete going in on the street is part of the trail too. Mt. Juliet Public Works Director Matt White explained the field work in a July 2026 interview with Main Street Media's Mt. Juliet Road Map:
"The purpose of the concrete islands (being built) in front of Mt. Juliet Elementary School is to improve the safety of pedestrians crossing West Division. There will also be a pedestrian signal to cross at this location that is activated by pressing a button. The activity in the field across from MJES is the contractor grading the trailhead parking lot."
Construction was 5% complete on July 20, 2026. The September newsletter reported 10% complete and said the phase should be finished "within 12 months." The newsletter was posted September 30, so that points to roughly fall 2027. The city hasn't set an opening date.
Phase 3 is three-quarters of a mile long. White puts the full Town Center Trail at 2.9 miles once all three phases are done.
The Trail Phase 3 Plugs Into
Phases 1 and 2 already run along West Division Street, from the S. Greenhill Road end to Eagle Park near the Mt. Juliet train station. Along the way they pass Hamilton-Denson Park. At the station end, the trail connects to the Music City Star stop.
The city's Parks and Greenways Map, dated January 1, 2026, lists the Town Center Trail at 2.54 miles from its trailhead parking lot. It puts the longest out-and-back trip at about 4.82 miles. Other sources give different numbers. The Lebanon Democrat's opening-era report called it roughly 2¼ miles, so treat any length as approximate.
You can park at three spots today:
- Eagle Park, at the train station end.
- S. Greenhill Road, at the west end, where Phase 3 will start.
- Hamilton-Denson Park, at 1855 Tate Lane, about midway.
If you live in Willoughby Station or Mt. Vernon Estates, you already have a shortcut. The Town Center Trail Connector added a 10-foot multi-use path on S. Greenhill Road from West Wilson Boulevard to the trail, plus a sidewalk segment on Willoughby Station Boulevard. The city built it to give those neighborhoods a safer way to reach the trail. The 2026 city map lists it at 0.15 miles. Once Phase 3 opens, that short connector will lead in both directions, east toward the train station and west across West Division at the new signal.
Two Trails, Two Speeds
| Town Center Trail | Cedar Creek Greenway | |
|---|---|---|
| Open today | About 2.54 miles along West Division | About 1.17 miles from the Charlie Daniels Park lot |
| Longest out-and-back, per city map | About 4.82 miles | About 2.24 miles |
| Main parking | Eagle Park, S. Greenhill Road, Hamilton-Denson Park | Charlie Daniels Park |
| Next phase | Phase 3 to Mt. Juliet Elementary | Phase 2 to Lebanon Road |
| Status as of September 2026 | Under construction, 10% complete | Final design, pending TDOT approval |
| Expected finish | Within 12 months of September 2026 | No date published |
Why Cedar Creek Stays Short for Now
The paved Phase 1 of the Cedar Creek Greenway is about 1.1 miles. It follows Cedar Creek from Charlie Daniels Park to Golden Bear Gateway and serves Park Glen and Tuscan Gardens. Every August, the Mt. Juliet Bicycle, Pedestrian Advisory Committee holds its free Greenway Walk here. The 2026 walk started at the Cedar Creek Greenway at Charlie Daniels Park, went three miles out to Golden Bear Gateway and Woodridge Place, and came back.
In March 2025, the Chronicle of Mt. Juliet reported the greenway "closed indefinitely" while the boardwalk was stained. It has been used since then. A trail user logged a walk in good conditions in May 2026, and the city's 2026 map lists it as an official greenway. The city map isn't a live closure notice, though, so check for current conditions before you head out to the boardwalk.
Phase 2 would take the greenway from Charlie Daniels Park to Lebanon Road. The September 2026 newsletter has the same status as the June issue, word for word: final design, NEPA complete, TDOT approval pending, and pre-construction activity 40% complete. Neither issue mentions a contract award, a construction start, or a finish date.
Phase 2 maps from 2023 show why the extension matters. Along the proposed route they label Mt. Juliet Village, Lineberry Corner, Publix, Kroger, Starbucks, Corner Pub, Whataburger, Slim Chickens, and Cedar Creek Sports Village. Those are the errands Phase 2 would put within walking distance of the creek. Today none of them sit on the open path.
The newer piece on this end is already built. The Park Glen trailhead has parking, a gazebo, and a picnic table, according to an October 2024 commissioner update. The 2023 maps also show an existing trailhead lot at Mt. Juliet Little League Park.
Phase 4 Rides on a Development
Phase 4 of the Town Center Trail has its approvals. The Nashville and Eastern Railroad Authority and RJ Corman granted an easement for a greenway inside the railroad right-of-way. The Lynwood Station developer will build it from the train station east to Clemmons Road, then along Clemmons Road to the Lynwood Station site. No schedule has been published, and the timing depends on the development rather than a city grant. Even so, the Town Center Trail is the only greenway in the city with funded work underway on one end and an approved route on the other.
The Small Connections Finishing First
Some smaller links are wrapping up while the big phases wait. The September newsletter says the SE Springdale Drive sidewalk is close to completion. It runs from Belinda Parkway past Will Sellers Park, also called the Bark Park, to the walking path behind Rutland Elementary. The Woodridge Place sidewalk toward Golden Bear Gateway was reported 50% complete in October 2024, and no newer update has been published.
The same newsletter also cleared up the e-bike rules. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes and e-scooters can ride on public greenways and streets, the same as regular bicycles. On public sidewalks, riders have to turn the motor off. The trail along Providence Trail is owned by its HOA, and e-bikes and scooters aren't allowed there. On the Town Center Trail, that means a Class 2 rider can use the trail under power but has to switch the motor off on any sidewalk leading to it.
Charlie Daniels Park keeps a busy calendar even while its greenway waits. Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation scheduled its last 2026 Movie in the Park, "Hook," there for Friday, October 2, starting at dusk. The fourth annual Pickles for Pups pickleball event follows on Saturday, October 3, raising money for Mt. Juliet Animal Care & Control. Planet Playground also got its first Leo Land piece, an inclusive merry-go-round, and the city set aside $50,000 in its new budget for later phases.
The Board of Commissioners has three meetings left in 2026: October 26, November 9, and December 14. A TDOT approval or contract award for Cedar Creek Phase 2 would show up at one of these meetings. Until then, the progress you can see on the city's greenways is the trailhead going in across from Mt. Juliet Elementary.
At Move Up Home Group, we follow projects like Town Center Trail Phase 3 the same way we follow pricing, block by block and month by month. If you want to know how a new trailhead or signal crossing on West Division could matter for a home on your street, ask us. We'll give you a straight answer. Let's Get Moving!
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
