Dalton’s Mill Line Trail delayed

DALTON, Georgia (WDEF)- Dalton officials say the Mill Line Trail won’t be ready as they hoped later this week.

It is a paved trail between Haig Mill Lake Park and the old Eagle Walk trailhead.

It follows the old Eagle Walk Trail that was built by local Boy Scouts.

The new version will be 10 feet wide with rooms for bicyclists, runners and walkers.

The project has been in the works for two years with construction beginning last summer.

The plan was to open it at the beginning of February, but now officials say that won’t happen.

They blame both the rain and cold temperatures for delaying construction.

“I’d say that with the recent rains, we’ve gotten more than six inches of rain in the past couple of weeks,” said Chad Townsend, director of Dalton’s Public Works Department. “Given the heavy rains and the location of the project, it’s hindered us. And then, naturally, with the freezing and the thawing, the extremely cold temperatures we’ve experienced recently, it’s certainly pushed things back a little bit.”

They hope to have it ready by the end of February, but have no set target date.

“Basically, we’re just putting the finishing touches on the project to make it completely safe for the public,” says Townsend.

Eventually they plan to connect the trail to the downtown area, if the May SPLOST referendum passes.