Under the Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road bridge, the Suwanee Creek Greenway runs through a short stretch of shade. On two weekends this fall, signs and barricades blocked it. Walkers could still use every other part of the trail. They just couldn't get past that one spot.
A trail that runs along a creek has to cross a lot of roads. Right now the City of Suwanee and the Georgia Department of Transportation have work going on at three of those crossings. The four miles of pavement are the same as ever. What has changed is how you get onto the trail and where it breaks. That pushes the greenway toward the parks that have their own lots, restrooms, and room to start a loop.
Three Crossings, Three Different Projects
The city describes the Suwanee Creek Greenway as a hard-surface, multipurpose trail. It winds through four miles of woods, wetlands, and wildlife habitat and connects nearly 400 acres of parkland with homes and businesses. Those connections are where the work is happening this season. Each project has its own owner, its own timeline, and its own effect on a regular walk.
| Crossing | What's happening | Status in the latest public notice |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Farm Road over Suwanee Creek | GDOT is replacing the bridge with a new one, project 0015618 | Road closed to through traffic; parking at the Martin Farm Park trailhead "extremely limited" |
| Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road bridge | GDOT's Forsyth–Gwinnett Bridge Rehabilitation Project | Phase one trail closures took place Sept. 26–28 and Oct. 3–5; a second phase is expected, but no dates have been published |
| Town Center access via Portland Drive | Repair of the wooden boardwalk that runs alongside Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road | Closed until the boardwalk is repaired; no reopening date published |
These are separate projects, and they're easy to confuse. The Martin Farm Road job builds a whole new bridge. The Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road job repairs a bridge that stays in place. The boardwalk is the city's own repair to its own trail access.
Martin Farm Road Is Getting a Different Bridge
The Martin Farm Road project changes the most, and when it's done it will change things for good. According to the city's construction page, the original bridge went up in 1978 and no longer meets current design standards. The new bridge will be 240 feet long and more than 9 feet wider, with room for a sidewalk. Its deck will also sit seven feet higher so more water can pass underneath and reduce flooding. GDOT contracted F.S. Scarbrough to build it. Work started in November 2025, and the old bridge has already been torn down.
The city's guidance for trail users during this phase is direct:
"During this phase of construction, the City of Suwanee recommends that residents and visitors access the Suwanee Creek Greenway from the McGinnis Ferry Road or Suwanee Creek Park trailheads. Access to the Martin Farm Park trailhead parking lot is extremely limited due to construction activities."
The same page warns that more work coming in the following weeks would affect both the Martin Farm Road lot and the nearby section of greenway. It lists George Pierce Park as another alternate and asks anyone passing through the work zone to use caution.
The city expects the bridge to reopen "later this year." GDOT's project dashboard for 0015618 shows a completion date of October 5, 2026. As of October 11, though, it still lists the project as under construction. Until the city posts that the bridge is open, plan on the detour.
The Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road Work Has a Second Act
The work under Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road was shorter but harder to work around. In its August 28, 2026 notice, the city closed the trail passage under the bridge from 7 p.m. September 26 to 6 a.m. September 28. It closed it again from 7 p.m. October 3 to 6 a.m. October 5. Both of those windows have now passed. In bold type, the notice made a point of saying "The entire Greenway is not closed." People could still use every trailhead. They just couldn't walk under the bridge.
The notice calls those two weekends the first phase. It says more temporary closures are expected in a second phase and that dates may shift depending on construction conditions. Our research didn't turn up any phase-two dates as of mid-October. The first phase did set a pattern, though. Both closures started at 7 p.m. on a Saturday and ran until 6 a.m. Monday, so they covered all of Sunday.
Close by, the Town Center entrance via Portland Drive and the boardwalk along Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road is still listed as closed until the boardwalk is repaired. So during a phase-two closure, the trail area around Town Center will have two problems at once: no way under the bridge and no boardwalk entrance.
Where the Greenway Opens Up Instead
The entrances that still work best this fall share a few things. Each has its own parking, and none depends on a bridge that's being worked on. The city's parks page and Gwinnett County's trail listing name them.
- Suwanee Creek Park, 1170 Buford Highway. The city calls this the greenway's trailhead. It's an 85-acre park near Suwanee's southern city limit, kept mostly in its natural state. It has about 100 parking spaces, public restrooms, two pavilions, and its own hard- and soft-surface trails.
- McGinnis Ferry Road and Burnette Road. Gwinnett County lists trailhead parking near that corner. The city lists an access point near Suwanee Sports Academy at 3640 Burnette Road.
- George Pierce Park, 55 Buford Highway. Access is near the soccer fields and the back softball fields, and the park has its own paved and soft-surface trails.
- Suwanee Elementary School. Open weekends, and weekdays after 4 p.m. only.
Suwanee Creek Park also has things to do besides walk. Its 18-hole disc golf course was designed by John David, a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association Hall of Fame. The city calls it "a short, technical course that serves as a great equalizer among players," with most holes in shaded woods and two that require a throw over water. You don't need a reservation. The park also has a one-mile orienteering course built as an Eagle Scout project. It sends hikers with a compass to 19 markers in a row. On a weekend when the bridges are a problem, this park works as a full outing without ever going near them.
After the Walk, Through Mid-November
The Town Center end of the trail has the busiest calendar this fall, so it helps to know how the closures fit around it. The city lists Town Center Park as connected to the greenway, and the park has more than a mile of looping sidewalks plus parklets with tables for outdoor dining. A short way up Main Street, Town Center on Main at 421 Main Street is home to Suwanee Circle. This food truck park opened in spring 2026 with rotating trucks, an outdoor bar, and occasional live acoustic music. It's open 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Next to it, DeLay Nature Park has the paved and boardwalk Brushy Creek Greenway. It runs about 0.4 mile from Suwanee Dam Road at DeLay Road to Stonecypher Road near Main Street. Our sources don't say whether it connects directly to the Suwanee Creek Greenway, so think of it as its own short walk.
The city calendar lists these events within walking distance of those parks:
- October 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Spooky Spirits 5K, a timed 5K with costumes and cocktails, at Town Center Park.
- October 24, 5 to 10 p.m.: Dinner & a BOOvie at Town Center Park, with trick-or-treating at local businesses, food trucks, and a double feature.
- November 7, 9 to 11 a.m.: The Winter Farmers Market opens at 421 Main Street and runs twice a month through April.
- November 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Suwanee Classic Car Show at 421 Main Street. It has room for up to 180 cars and is free.
- November 14, 9 a.m. to noon: The Art on the Run Turkey Trot 5K at Town Center Park. That same morning, electronics recycling takes place at 421 Main Street.
If you're planning to walk the greenway to one of these events, check the city's news page that week. If a phase-two closure lands on the same weekend, you won't be able to walk under the Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road bridge.
What Comes After the Barricades
The current repairs are part of a longer plan. In a May 2025 notice announcing a June 10 public open house, the city described the Suwanee Loop, a long-range network of paths linking neighborhoods to downtown, parks, and regional trails. Planned pieces include paths along Eva Kennedy, Stonecypher, Main, Russell, and White streets, plus a pedestrian bridge over Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Construction is expected to start by 2030. The notice said plans to realign the Suwanee Creek Greenway would also be shown, but it didn't give the route or a schedule.
Of all the current work, the Martin Farm Road bridge will make the clearest difference once it's finished. The new deck will be seven feet higher, and the bridge will have a sidewalk the 1978 structure never had.
Bridge work is a good example of the details we track for our clients: which access points, road projects, and timelines affect daily life near a home. If you're weighing a home near the greenway or anywhere else in Suwanee and want to know what's being built nearby, C&C Harrington Homes is happy to help. Get in Touch.
