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Braselton trail reopens
October floods damaged Mulberry RiverWalk
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BRASELTON — Phase I of Mulberry RiverWalk, a more than two-mile trail in Braselton, recently reopened following flood damage in October that closed it for more than six months.

In February, Braselton received a $25,000 matching grant from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to remedy the damage.

“It was awful,” Town Manager Jennifer Dees said. “We had areas of the walk that were gone.”

The town awarded Southern Classic Construction with a contract to repair the trail, which the company finished in less than two months.

Repairs included rebuilding portions of the trail, restoring the riverbank and remedying a sewer line problem, Dees said.

Last year’s rains flooded at least 90 percent of the path, and the trail remained submerged for at least two days. Mulch was washed away, trees toppled into the river, parts of the trail washed away and riverbank erosion caused sinkholes.

Now, though, Dees said the trail is better than ever.

“Everything’s back protected, everything’s back stabilized, it looks fabulous out there,” she said. “It’s actually nicer than the day we opened.”

Finished in 2005, Phase I of the RiverWalk was built using a $100,000 federal grant from the Land & Water Conservation Fund.

The 2.3-mile path is part of a three-phase project that, when finished, will stretch for almost six miles and end on Ga. 124.

Construction of Phase II, a 1.7-mile section, has begun and is expected to be completed this fall. That section is being funded with a $100,000 state grant.

“That one definitely is going to be a lot more challenging than Phase I because it’s got a lot more hills and valleys,” Dees said. “So it’ll be a more strenuous work out than Phase I is.”

There is no timeline yet for construction of Phase III, a 1.75-mile section. Dees said the town is still trying to acquire land needed for the extension.