Jonesborough's contractor has finished the town's section of the First Frontier Trail. The trail is supposed to eventually run about five miles between downtown Jonesborough and Johnson City near ETSU. The section that's done covers the edge of town, from Headtown Road east to the town's corporate limits. The county land between there and Johnson City hasn't been started yet.

So the trail's first real payoff stays inside Jonesborough. For now, what got built this fall works as a walking project for East Main Street. The next piece is a trailhead park planned for the old Jonesborough Middle School football field, and it will make the east side of town a destination for walking and biking well before anyone can ride to Johnson City.

What the Crew Finished in September

Work on the East Main Street/First Frontier Trail project began in August. The Town's operations manager, Craig Ford, wrote in his September 2026 report, dated October 6 and included in the Board of Mayor and Aldermen's October 12 packet, that the contractor had completed it. He called the finished product "certainly an upgrade to the East Main Street area."

The work came in three pieces along the same corridor:

• A new sidewalk in front of Chapman's Reserve on East Main, finished first.
• The first section of the First Frontier Trail, from Headtown Road to the Town's corporate limits.
• Concrete at Brightridge Park. The same contractor poured it at the trail project's contract price after the Street Department prepared the site.

Brightridge Park is a new piece of East Main too. The Town and BrightRidge are building a passive park with landscaping that screens the substation at 1115 East Main Street from the road. By June, trees, shrubs and landscape beds were in. Native perennials were held back for a later phase. In July the two sides agreed on the name "Brightridge Park at Jonesborough" and signed the lease. As of the October report, the concrete was done and Ford hoped to finish the park within the next month.

No formal opening or ribbon-cutting had been announced as of mid-October.

Why the First Finished Piece Sits at the Edge of Town

Three governments are building the trail in three separate pieces.

Jonesborough built its share first and built it toward the town line. Johnson City is building its share from the west, working east along Old Jonesborough Highway and West Walnut Street toward West State of Franklin Road, according to the City of Johnson City's First Frontier Trail FAQ. The stretch in between belongs to Washington County. WCYB reported on September 21 that the county had not started its portion.

That's why Jonesborough's finished trail mostly serves Jonesborough for now. Parks and recreation director Chris Kudera explained to WCYB what the town was aiming for, and he didn't mention commuting:

"We've done surveys of the town residents. What they want to see is walkability. They want to be able to walk to church. They want to be able to walk to the grocery store. They want to be able to walk and talk with their friends, and this is a big part of that."

Back when the Town was asking for public feedback on the plan, WCYB described Jonesborough's piece in March 2025 as a walking and biking trail of nearly two miles. That figure came from the proposal stage. The Town hasn't published a measured length for what was actually built.

The Gap in the Middle

Johnson City has its own target date. Its FAQ says the goal is to finish the trail connection at Sunny Slopes Drive by November 2026. That's the city's stated goal. No progress update had been posted as of mid-October. Johnson City planning and project manager Maggie Darden told WCYB that "it's a multi-year project." She added that crews are also replacing water and sewer lines along the route while they build.

Some groundwork is already in place on the Johnson City side. The city held a completion event for its West Walnut Corridor project on October 2, 2025. That project added a dedicated bike lane and sidewalks. It was a separate project from the trail, but it runs along the same street the trail will follow into town.

The county's piece is the least certain. The aldermen's January 12, 2026 minutes record a joint meeting with Washington County officials about the next phase. The minutes don't record a timeline. Short pieces of the trail are already open. Darden told WCYB, "This trail is open," and said seeing someone use even a short segment "would make my heart sing." But you can't walk the full five miles yet.

The long-range plan reaches further than Johnson City. The project aims to eventually tie into the Tweetsie Trail, and Carter County is looking at extending the Tweetsie from Elizabethton to Hampton.

Frontier Park Gives the Trail Somewhere to Start

With the connection years away, the trailhead is what will change how the east side of town gets used. The Town is turning the old Jonesborough Middle School track and football field into a park and trailhead. The school no longer operates there, and the property came to the Town from Washington County Schools. According to the December 8, 2025 aldermen's minutes, the Town now owns the site. The same minutes describe it as an eight-acre tract with an ADA restroom, accessible asphalt parking and a bike track.

The design has moved along since then. Town staff met with architect Aaron Brumo of ClarkNexsen about what the October packet now calls the Frontier Park Trailhead. They reviewed a building with a concessions area, storage and four individual family-use bathrooms. Those attending were pleased with it after months of giving input. Ford also went to a separate site plan meeting about a pavilion for the trailhead.

Kudera described the finished hub to WCYB as a place where "you'll be able to charge your e-bike, rest," with vending machines for a snack. He said one of the last pieces will be a bike skills park. The Town's grant proposal also lists a resurfaced walking and running track, seating and bike racks.

The location fits with parks the town already has. The proposal puts Lincoln Park and the Jonesborough Senior Center about half a mile from the trailhead, roughly halfway between the historic downtown and the new park. On the other side of downtown, the Town has Recreational Trails Program money for a connector from Stage Road Park, south of Main Street, into downtown.

The building still has to be bid. As of the October report, staff were weighing three options: normal bidding, a Guaranteed Maximum Price, or having Town crews do some of the work themselves to save money. Every option has to meet the requirements of TDEC's Office of Outdoor Recreation, which is funding the project. The proposal's original schedule listed construction in July 2026 and close-out in January 2027. Since the building design was still under review in October, that schedule may slip.

Where the Money Comes From

The state is paying for most of this, through more than one channel:

• Jonesborough, Governor's Office allocation. The Town's First Frontier page says the state appropriated $2.4 million directly to Jonesborough through TDEC, and that the Town has received it.
• Jonesborough, TDEC grant. WCYB reported in August 2025 that a $1.75 million TDEC grant would help complete the trail, with local matching funds covering part of the cost.
• Johnson City's segment. WJHL reported in April 2025 on $5 million in the state budget for the city's route out to its limits on the Jonesborough side.

The public documents don't say whether the two Jonesborough amounts are separate pots of money or overlap. Adding them together would overstate the total. The Town's proposal estimated the combined park and trail project at $3,083,599. That included $1.5 million for trail construction, $525,000 for restrooms and $100,000 for parking. That was a planning estimate, not a final cost.

The Next Dates on the Calendar

Three things could happen this fall and winter. Brightridge Park at Jonesborough could be finished within about a month of the October report. Johnson City's November 2026 goal for reaching Sunny Slopes Drive will come up soon. And the Town still has to choose a bidding method for the Frontier Park building. The county's middle section hasn't started, and none of the public documents gives it a start date.

If you'd like to know how a nearby trail, a new park, or the coming Frontier Park trailhead could affect what your home is worth, Kim Leonard TN can walk you through it. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and see where your Jonesborough property stands as the east side of town grows.