Jamestown didn't need many new trails to become a walking town. It needed a few short gaps filled in, and the biggest one is due to close by the end of this month. Jamestown News reported that construction on the East Main Street Sidepath was still going at the October 6 Town Council meeting, and that staff said it should be finished "around the end of October."
The path runs from Vickrey Chapel Road to near Millis Elementary School, according to Jamestown News. On a map that's a short segment. What makes it matter is what sits at either end.
The Gap the 2023 Plan Wrote Down
When the Town adopted its Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan on May 16, 2023, the existing sidewalk network was already extensive. Sidewalks ran along East and West Main Street, Dillon Road, Guilford Road and Guilford College Road. Downtown had brick sidewalks. A pedestrian bridge over Arnold Koonce City Lake tied the East Fork Road sidewalks into the Bicentennial Greenway. Two walking loops of 1 mile and 3.1 miles already started at Wrenn Miller Park.
The same plan also listed three corridors with no sidewalks: Penny Road, Oakdale Road and the eastern part of East Main Street. It made a new East Main sidepath from Vickrey Chapel Road to Millis Road a priority. The plan also pointed out that a crossing on east Main would link GTCC with the shared CJ Greene Education Center and Ragsdale High School campus, and give walkers a way to reach a GTCC bus stop.
So the eastern end of Main Street has been the known weak spot for three years. The sidewalk ran out there, while almost everything west and south of it already connected.
A Federal Deadline Set the Pace
The project is paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds, and the March 17, 2026 council minutes say it has to be finished, with reimbursement requested, by December 31, 2026.
There wasn't much room for slippage. The first bid opening drew too few bids, so the Town rebid the job. The rebid on February 17, 2026 brought in one offer, from Atlantic Contracting Company, for $1,791,501. That was within about $22,500 of the Town's $1,769,000 estimate. Council awarded the contract at its March 17 meeting, and Jamestown News quoted Public Services Director Paul Blanchard on what it would do:
"This project will complete a nice loop around Jamestown, in addition to connecting four schools to the sidewalk system."
An end-of-October finish leaves about two months of cushion before the federal cutoff. Even so, a completion date is a forecast until the cones are gone. As of the last council report, the work was still underway.
What the Loop Pulls Together
These stops are on the network the sidepath joins:
- Wrenn Miller Park, the Town's newest park. It has the fifth-of-a-mile sidewalk loop, a picnic shelter with four tables, an amphitheater with a grass seating slope, and a Veterans Memorial whose honorary wall lists Jamestown residents who served in World War II. The Town also lists dedicated bricks and a growing maze garden.
- BookLOVE at 702-D West Main Street. The Jamestowner reported that the independent bookstore had its soft opening on April 13, 2026 and planned its grand opening for May 2. It sells new and used books, runs book clubs and has a children's book room.
- Full Moon Oyster Bar at 103 West Main Street, which lists daily hours on its website.
- Black Powder Smokehouse at 302 East Main Street, open Tuesday through Saturday according to its Jamestown page.
- The Jamestown Public Library, open weekdays and Saturdays.
- Mendenhall Homeplace, where the Historic Jamestown Society gives guided tours by appointment.
Before the sidepath, the east end of that string stopped at a curb. Once it's done, a walk that starts at Wrenn Miller Park can reach the Main Street storefronts and keep going east on a continuous path, without stepping into traffic.
Jamestown Park Is Filling In at the Same Time
The sidepath is the headline, but the Town's other big walking spot has also been adding pieces this year. The Town's parks page calls Jamestown Park a popular place to park for the Bicentennial Greenway. Guilford County lists the greenway at 14.5 miles of mixed asphalt and gravel, open sunrise to sunset, with Gibson Park as another access point. The project statuses below come from the October 6 council report in Jamestown News and from the Town's own project pages.
| Jamestown Park project | Status as of the October 6 council report | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Nature trail and natural play area | Open | A winding path among native trees, natural-style play structures, puzzles and educational signs |
| Dog park | Fencing and equipment installed, grand opening date not yet set | Separate off-leash areas for small and large dogs, water fountains, pet-waste stations and a shaded shelter |
| Accessible restroom | Design approved by Guilford County, going to bid in October, contract award expected in November | Restroom budgeted at $708,635 in the FY 2026–27 capital program |
The dog park and the play area come from the same improvement plan. The Town says a state PARTF grant paid for them, with Guilford County ARPA funds covering the required match. The park also has the 18-hole public golf course. The Town notes Jamestown is one of the smallest municipalities in the country to run its own.
What's Still on the Map
East Main is being finished. Penny Road comes next, and the Deep River trail is the longer-range project. Both are waiting on things that take longer than pouring concrete.
Penny Road is next in line. At the January 22, 2026 budget work session, staff called the sidewalk early-stage. It would extend existing sidewalk to the High Point driveway at City Lake Park, and High Point would connect it from there to the Bicentennial Greenway. The water line under the corridor is due for replacement first, so the sidewalk has to wait until that work is done.
The Deep River is the bigger idea. The Town's 2010 Deep River Trail Plan, carried forward in the 2023 plan, proposes a paddle route and a greenway along both banks, from City Lake Park to the Oakdale Mill dam. The adopted FY 2026–27 capital program sets aside $1.3 million for Phases I through III but gives no construction schedule. At the October 6 meeting, according to Jamestown News, Mayor Susan Dickenson reported on a Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority session she attended. Mary Joan Pugh, who oversees the Deep River Trail system of blueways and greenways, was there and got updates from engineers. For now the route is still a plan.
Dates Between Now and Year's End
The sidepath is due first. After that, Main Street has a full calendar:
- October 31: The Town's second Main Street Corridor Study survey closes. The study covers the stretch from Ragsdale Road to Teague Drive.
- November 11, 11 a.m.: Veterans Day flag-raising ceremony at Wrenn Miller Park. Town Hall is closed that day.
- November 13: Entry deadline for the Christmas Parade, run by the Jamestown Rotary Club.
- End of November: The Main Street Corridor Study's final report is expected, per the same Jamestown News council report.
- Sunday, December 6, 3 p.m.: The Christmas Parade comes down Main Street.
- December 31: The federal deadline for finishing the sidepath and filing for reimbursement.
The corridor study asks what Main Street should look like from here, and it's being finished in the same weeks that Main Street's sidewalk gap closes.
If you're curious how the new sidepath and the other loops shape the streets around them, Pam Robbins follows this town block by block and is always glad to talk Jamestown. Our Jamestown neighborhood page is a good place to start, and when you're ready, schedule a consultation.
