Tom Charlier - The Commercial Appeal -

In a metro area not exactly famous for urban-suburban cooperation, Memphis and Germantown will work closely together this fall in an effort that will double the length of uninterrupted bicycling and pedestrian trails available along the Wolf River.

Both cities are breaking ground on trail segments that will link their separate "greenways" along the Wolf.

This month, Memphis will begin work on a mile-long eastward extension of its greenway from near Shady Grove Road to the Germantown city limits. The project will cost $1.57 million and should be completed next spring, said Park Services director Cindy Buchanan.

Germantown, meanwhile, will be extending its greenway roughly 900 feet to the west to meet the Memphis trail. The project, which also includes the widening of some of Germantown's existing system, will cost $98,000 and should be complete by December, said George Brogdon, director of the city's community services division.

By linking the nearly 21/2 -mile Germantown system and a Memphis greenway that will have grown to a similar length, the projects will enable people to cycle, walk or jog on paved trails along the river all the way from east of Germantown Parkway to Walnut Grove Road without venturing onto streets.

The Wolf River Greenway, not to be confused with the Shelby Farms Greenline along the old CSX railroad bed, is a 10-foot-wide paved multi-use trail being built in phases along the length of the Wolf in Shelby County.

Although they're often at odds regarding education and other issues, the two cities are working closely to link up their greenway systems.

"We're coordinating with Germantown," Buchanan said. "They have our construction plans, so we all can make sure it's consistent."

Brogdon said the connection with Memphis is the first of several major steps in the greenway's development. Once Wolf River Boulevard is completed, Germantown's greenway will be made continuous as far east as Cameron Brown Park -- and, eventually, link up with the Collierville system.

"It's exciting to connect with Memphis," Brogdon said.

The two cities' systems vary slightly in style, with Germantown providing more nature-interpretive features and Memphis emphasizing high landscaping standards.

"We've each gone in slightly different directions, but I think it (the linkage) opens it up to all users," Brogdon said.

The Memphis segment that's about to get under way is the second phase of a long-term program expected to last 20 or so years and eventually will extend the trail system 22 miles, all the way to the mouth of the Wolf at the Mississippi River.

The initial 1.5-mile segment between Walnut Grove and Shady Grove was formally opened last December.

After completion of the link with Germantown, the construction activity will move several miles to the west as a segment running along a levee between Hollywood and McLean is built.

"We really feel like we need to take it to other parts of the community to get as many people able to use it...," Buchanan said.

She credited the Wolf River Conservancy, a conservation group, with helping the city obtain easements for the trail.

Although it will be years before the entire system is completed, the project should be worth the wait, Buchanan said. "This is a monumental project that's going to make a huge difference in the community."

-- Tom Charlier: (901) 529-2572