Since May 2024, anyone heading west on the Germantown Greenway toward Memphis has squeezed through the Beaver Loop Trail. It is a 6-foot asphalt path through the woods, and it became the detour when the old boardwalk deteriorated past saving. The rebuilt route will be a permanent 10-foot asphalt trail with 2-foot shoulders on each side. That makes it 14 feet of usable width where there used to be six.
That width is the story of the Greenway this season. Germantown is rebuilding its west end to carry more people than before. The city redirected Greenway repair money to replace a pedestrian bridge at Cameron Brown Park, and two city commissions are now reviewing a resident survey on who should share the wider trail. Until the work wraps up, getting onto the trail runs through a short list of trailheads and a road with its own construction zone.
What Alexander Construction is building on the Beaver Loop
In June, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a $214,545 construction contract with Alexander Construction LLC to replace the closed western section. Kimley-Horn designed the project under a professional services agreement the board approved in January 2026. The city has tied the work to its recently adopted Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which makes reinvestment in parks and trails a priority.
According to the city's July 28 announcement, construction began Thursday, August 6, and was expected to take "up to 120 days, weather permitting." Counting from that start date, the window runs into the first week of December. The city describes the corridor as "one of the community's most heavily used recreational corridors," and lists three goals for the new surface: safety, trail capacity and durability for pedestrians, runners and cyclists.
The project covers nearly 3,500 linear feet of new trail surfacing, according to a later city post. The Daily Memphian also covered the contract when the board approved it.
Where to get on while the Memphis side is closed
During construction, the work area is closed and the Greenway can't be reached from the Memphis side. The city has pointed trail users to the Poplar Estates Trailhead instead.
The city's Greenway page lists these Wolf River access points. Parking at the four Wolf River Boulevard trailheads is on the north side of that road.
| Trailhead | Where the city places it |
|---|---|
| Poplar Estates | 0.36 mile west of New Riverdale Road, parking north of Wolf River Boulevard |
| Youth Education Pond | 7014 Wolf River Boulevard |
| Kimbrough/Wolf River | 0.10 mile east of Kimbrough |
| Farmington | Northwest corner of Farmington and Wolf River Boulevard |
| Cameron Brown | Behind the park's north-side baseball fields |
These trailheads serve the city's Wolf River sections, which run from the western city border to Farmington. A separate section connects Johnson Road Park and Houston Levee Park. The city describes the full Germantown Greenway as a planned 22-mile system with more than 10 miles complete. Johnson Road Park, at 2970 Johnson Road, links into that system.
The Germantown Greenway also belongs to a larger regional route. The Wolf River Conservancy describes the Wolf River Greenway as a planned 26-mile path from Mud Island through north-central Memphis and Shelby Farms to Germantown and Collierville, with 14 miles open. The Conservancy's East Section, a 3.6-mile open stretch, meets Germantown near Kirby Parkway. Its trailheads are Shady Grove at 6324 Humphreys Boulevard and Kirby Parkway at 6730 Humphreys Boulevard. The Conservancy gave the same 14-mile figure at its August 22, 2026 progress update, along with a plan that connects more than 22 neighborhoods.
Wolf River Boulevard has its own work zone
All four of those Wolf River Boulevard parking areas are reached from the road that now has lane closures. Beginning Monday, November 9, contractor Grinder, Taber & Grinder closed one lane in each direction for about 1,000 feet of Wolf River Boulevard. The westbound closure is near the western entrance to Sutherland Cardiology Clinic, and the eastbound closure is near the western edge of the future campus site. The work is mostly median modification, and the city expects the closures to last about four to five weeks. That puts the end date in mid-December, close to when the Beaver Loop window closes. The city has advised drivers to use caution and allow extra time.
The closures are the first step of the Wolf River Medical Campus, a nearly 14-acre site at 7460 Wolf River Boulevard, just west of Sutherland Cardiology Clinic. Phase one, which the board approved October 26, covers the median changes, a fire hydrant relocation and an entrance driveway. The full project calls for two two-story medical office buildings of 54,450 square feet each and 545 parking spaces. The Planning Commission approved it March 3 and the Design Review Commission on March 24, and the city expects building construction to begin in the spring.
For a late-afternoon walk from Youth Education Pond or Kimbrough, that means a narrowed road on the drive in through roughly the first half of December, then a long building project along the same corridor next year.
Greenway repair money moved to Cameron Brown's bridge
At the east end of the Wolf River sections, a city engineering inspection on June 12 found that a pedestrian bridge near Cameron Brown Pond had been weakened by environmental exposure and insect damage. The bridge was closed right away as a precaution. In September, the board approved a $53,156 contract with Nabholz Construction Services LLC to demolish and replace it. Work began November 2 and was scheduled to finish by November 16.
The funding shows how the city is handling its trail budget. The Beaver Loop project's roughly 3,500 linear feet of new surface covered the Parks and Recreation Department's annual repaving needs. That let the city move money originally set aside for annual Greenway Overlay repairs to the bridge, through its Infrastructure Replacement Program. The new trail surface on the west end freed up the money for the new crossing on the east end.
Cameron Brown Park is at 8628 Farmington Boulevard. The city's longer enhancement plan for the park lists a 237-space parking lot, a 10-foot multiuse path, a pedestrian bridge connecting to the Wolf River Greenway, a replacement trail and synthetic turf on Cameron Brown Field #5. That 10-foot path matches the width going in on the Beaver Loop.
Who gets to use the extra width
A trail that gains eight feet also raises the question of who will share it. In October, the city published results from a resident survey on e-bikes that drew 952 responses.
- 196 respondents own or ride an e-bike, motorized bicycle or e-moto.
- 433 reported significant safety concerns about e-bikes in Germantown, and 335 reported moderate concern.
- 64.6% said they had personally experienced or witnessed an unsafe situation involving an e-bike.
- 84.2% support a recommended speed limit for e-bikes on park trails and the Greenway.
The opinions on benefits were split. 37.9% said e-bikes don't provide significant community benefits, 29.4% named recreation, exercise and leisure, and 21.7% pointed to better mobility for seniors and people with disabilities. The city described its approach in the survey post:
"Rather than adopting a blanket policy, the City is gathering information and evaluating potential safety measures that reflect the needs of the community."
The Germantown Police Department's e-bike and golf cart rules page currently states that Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes are prohibited in Germantown parks and on park trails, including the Greenway. It also says riding any class of e-bike on a Germantown sidewalk is prohibited, though walking one is allowed. Parks and Recreation Director Natalie Ruffin said the next step is waiting for evaluations and recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Transportation Commission. The survey's support for a trail speed limit shows that the shared-use question is still open as the wider path nears completion. Parks and Recreation takes questions at (901) 757-7376. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the city's current rules or the department directly before you ride.
After the walk, Thornwood
Palmer House Bakery has been supplying pastries to JoJo's Espresso, and it is preparing its first standalone storefront at 1730 S. Germantown Road in Thornwood. The shop is across from JoJo's and next to Buff City Soap. WhatNow Memphis reported that the owners hoped to be ready in time for Thanksgiving preorders, with mostly grab-and-go service and limited seating. The city's business announcement lists pastries, cookies, muffins, scones, seasonal treats, gluten-friendly options and custom cakes. It credits mother-daughter founders Sophie and Ashley Pier.
The same announcement says Sunrise Memphis plans its third location, and its largest so far, at 7699 Farmington Boulevard in the former AutoZone building. It is expected to open in 2027 with breakfast, lunch and a coffee bar. For more of what's changing around town, see our Germantown neighborhood page and our earlier look at Germantown's fall season along Poplar.
If you're thinking about how close to the Greenway your next home should be, or what trail access adds to the home you own now, Amy Woods can walk you through the streets along the Wolf River corridor. Request your VIP Home Valuation to start the conversation.
