The Rock Island Greenway, named after the now-defunct rail line that Johnny Cash once sang about, is the conversion of a former railroad right-of-way into a shared-use path and linear park that connects residential areas, Ruston's downtown commercial core, Louisiana Tech University, and wooded natural settings. The first mile of the greenway was constructed in late 2016 with a crushed-stone surface, providing a nice starting block for a city-wide trail system that will greatly improve the quality of life for the community.
Additional paved segments of trail were completed in 2019 and 2020, extending the initial pathway into R.L. Cook Park and creating a separate southern segment, running from W California Avenue to Tennessee Avenue on a pleasant corridor near Shepherd Creek on the city's outskirts.
For the northern segment of the trail, park in the gravel lot near the W. Kentucky Ave. & Chautauqua Rd. intersection, or at R.L. Cook Park at 2800 Kavanaugh Road.
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