Behind the visitor side of Newnan High School, along Cougar Way, a row of parking spaces is gone. City Manager Cleatus Phillips has said the Coweta County School System helped plan the change from the start. The school decided it had enough parking elsewhere, including the lot on Armory Road. Removing the spaces also addressed a safety problem. Students who parked there had no sidewalk and often walked in the road.
The space is going to the newest section of the LINC, Newnan's paved multi-use trail. It starts on the LaGrange Street side of town, near Boone Drive and Drake Stadium. It then follows Sewell Road through Carl Miller Park, and a Times-Herald report on the plan says it will connect with the existing trail at Spence Avenue. The city describes a direct link from Cougar Way into downtown as a future phase. The LINC is heading toward downtown from two directions. The stretch where those two ends would meet is also the part the city is just starting to study.
The Trail You Already Know Stops at the Edge of Downtown
The current LINC was built in sections from 2019 to 2023: Sections A through D plus the Newnan Centre segment. Section C finished the route between Summergrove and downtown. The volunteer group Friends of LINC splits that route into five stretches, from Summergrove to downtown:
- Summergrove to Newnan Crossing Boulevard
- Newnan Crossing to Ashley Park, with public restrooms at Ashley Park and Woof Gang Bakery nearby
- Ashley Park to Greison Trail, which has the tunnel mural Friends of LINC dedicated in January 2025
- Greison Trail to C.J. Smith Park, home to the "Vestige" sculpture installation
- C.J. Smith Park to Downtown, near Trek Bicycle and Dragonfly Running Company
The main parking area is the Newnan Centre trailhead at 1515 Lower Fayetteville Road. From there the trail follows wooded creek corridors and crosses over I-85 toward downtown. The path is 12 feet wide and open to walkers, runners, cyclists, and skaters. In 2023 the city said golf carts and other motorized vehicles are not allowed.
You've probably seen the "26-mile" figure. That is the length of the full planned network, not what's open today. The PATH Foundation's trail listing measures the developed LINC at 2.55 miles. Most of the system is still planned, and Section 13 is the next piece being built.
Section 13 Is Being Built Around the School Calendar
The city's bid documents call it Phase 13. It is 6,054 feet long, about 1.15 miles, running from Cougar Way and LaGrange Street to Sewell Road and Spence Avenue. It passes Newnan High and goes through Newnan Utilities property to Carl Miller Park. The work includes a 10- to 12-foot concrete trail, bridge structures, drainage, retaining walls, landscaping, reconfigured roads and parking, and signs.
Seven contractors bid on the job. Hasbun Construction had the lowest bid, at $3,179,399.97. City Council awarded Hasbun the contract on April 14, 2026. Equipment was set to arrive in mid-May, with construction starting May 26, after the school year ended. Newnan Utilities, which owns much of the land the trail crosses, worked on easements along Sewell Road. It also approved a $394,000 SPLOST contribution, about an eighth of the winning bid.
Construction was scheduled around the school year. Council approved closing Cougar Way between LaGrange Street and Sewell Road for June and July. The closure didn't start until June 1, so teacher workdays and school activities could wrap up first. Assistant City Manager Hasco Craver told council:
"We don't typically ask for this kind of roadway closure, but we were trying to hit that deadline if we can to get out of there before school starts in August."
The bid documents set two different targets. The work next to the high school was due to be substantially complete before the 2026–27 school year began. The whole 1.15 miles has a 12-month construction schedule. Twelve months from the late-May start would mean spring 2027. That's simple date math, though, since the city hasn't announced a finish date. As of late September, no public notice has confirmed that any part of Section 13 is open to walkers.
Where Every Piece Stands Right Now
| Piece | What's been reported | What hasn't been announced |
|---|---|---|
| Summergrove-to-downtown backbone | Open; sections finished 2019–2023 | Nothing pending |
| Section 13, Cougar Way to Carl Miller Park | Under construction since late May 2026 | Opening date for any part |
| Cougar Way toward downtown via Boone Drive and Fourth Street | Described by the city as a future phase | Design, funding, schedule |
| Bicentennial Park on East Broad Street | Framework largely complete | Public opening date |
| Newnan Crossing Boulevard East to Piedmont Newnan Hospital | Federal planning and engineering money awarded | Construction timeline |
The bottom row is a separate project. Newnan won $785,064 in federal Transportation Alternatives funds, matched with $196,266 in local money. The money pays for planning and engineering on a roughly three-mile connection from behind Walmart on Newnan Crossing Boulevard East to Piedmont Newnan Hospital. That's design money, not construction money, so the hospital link is further off than the work behind Newnan High.
Downtown Is Where the Two Ends Have to Meet
Once Section 13 is finished, the city says the next phase will run from Cougar Way along Boone Drive and Fourth Street, "eventually creating a continuous connection into the city center." The existing trail comes in from the other direction and reaches downtown past C.J. Smith Park. Both ends point at the blocks around the old train depot.
That area is already under construction. Bicentennial Park is about an acre on East Broad Street, across from the depot. Plans include walking paths, a pavilion, parking, restrooms, art walls, and sculpture pedestals. When council approved construction, the plans also called for landscaping that integrates with the LINC. At the August 11, 2026 council meeting, the city manager's capital projects update listed the Bicentennial site as expected to finish by the end of the month. A later Times-Herald report said the basic framework was largely done and the fencing could come down soon. Historical markers and art installations will be added over the next two years, ahead of Newnan's 200th anniversary in 2028.
Friends of LINC describes a trailhead and pedestrian garden east of the CSX tracks, across from the depot. It would carry the path from Washington Street to East Broad Street. The city's FY2026 budget includes $2.5 million for a LINC trailhead and downtown park, $2 million for a LINC trail addition, and $500,000 in impact-fee revenue for Segment 13. The money for a downtown trailhead is in the budget, and the park across from the depot is mostly built. Still missing is a defined walking and biking route through downtown streets that connects the two ends of the trail.
October Is When the Downtown Route Gets Discussed
That route is part of what the Downtown Mobility Plan is studying. The plan focuses on "bicycle and LINC trail connections between downtown, nearby neighborhoods and the broader transportation network," along with crossings, sidewalks, lighting, and wayfinding. It was introduced to council on August 11. The project team set up at PorchFest on August 22, and the first public meeting was September 8 at the Carnegie Library. The study is now in its "Develop and Test" stage. During September and October, the team will show draft improvements and ask for feedback on concepts, priorities, and tradeoffs.
Three chances to weigh in are left:
- Oktoberfest pop-up, Friday, October 2, 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., to review emerging ideas
- Market Day pop-up, Saturday, October 3, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., to rank potential recommendations and locations
- Public Meeting #2, Thursday, October 22, to see draft recommendations before the plan is finalized; time and location are still to be confirmed
The final plan, with implementation priorities, is scheduled for November and December 2026. The project page asks: "Where is it difficult to cross? Where are sidewalks uncomfortable or inaccessible? ... What connections are missing?" If you walk from C.J. Smith Park into downtown, or drive Cougar Way at school pickup, those are questions you can answer from experience. The Oktoberfest pop-up is this Friday.
A new trail segment or park nearby changes how a street works day to day, and over time it can change what buyers notice about a home. If you live near Cougar Way, Sewell Road, or the depot blocks and want to talk through what these projects could mean for your property, Jessica Mottola is happy to look at it with you, with no pressure and no rush. Let's Connect.
