The corner of North Point Parkway and Encore Parkway has been a construction site since February 2025. The latest update from True North 400, the business improvement district paying for part of the work, describes handrails going up along a raised boardwalk, terraces taking form on a plaza and stone veneer going onto the retaining walls. The project is Encore Greenway Park and Gateway, and its listed completion date is December 2026.
The gateway is the greenway's new front door on North Point Parkway. The trail that connects that door to the Alpha Loop is a different project, with a different contractor and its own 18.5-month clock, and as of this week no one has said when that clock starts. So this winter, North Point's greenway is still the one you can already walk onto from five existing access points.
Five ways onto the greenway from the North Point side
The Big Creek Greenway's directions page lists these access points for the Alpharetta section, all just off North Point Parkway or GA 400:
Access point | Where the greenway guide puts it |
|---|---|
Across from North Point Mall | Behind Ethan Allen, 0.2 mile north of Encore Parkway, on the right |
Haynes Bridge Road | 0.3 mile east of North Point Parkway, on the left coming from North Point Parkway |
Kimball Bridge Road at Rock Mill Park | 0.3 mile east of North Point Parkway, on the left coming from North Point Parkway |
Preston Ridge Road | 0.2 mile east of North Point Parkway near the YMCA, on the right |
Marconi Drive | 0.5 mile south of Windward Parkway, east of GA 400 |
Three of these come with street addresses and parking notes on Alpharetta's visitor site. The North Point Parkway access is at 5100 North Point Parkway, across from the mall, and has ample parking. The Haynes Bridge Road access is listed at 6698 North Point Parkway, with parking and restrooms. The Rock Mill Park access is at 1750 Kimball Bridge Road, also with parking.
The access across from the mall sits about two-tenths of a mile from Encore Parkway, so that end of the greenway is already a short walk from where the new gateway is going up. The gateway is the project's answer to that gap. True North 400 describes it as a way to give "those who live, work, and play in the North Point area" a stronger connection between "two of the region's premier trail systems."
What the Encore Gateway adds, and where it stands
True North 400 lists $1,930,000 in district investment in Encore Greenway Park, built in partnership with the City of Alpharetta. Design started in spring 2022, Strack, Inc. is the contractor and Mayor Jim Gilvin joined the groundbreaking in March 2025.
The project page sorts the work into three stages:
- Done: helical piers for the boardwalk, a sewer line transfer platform, grading for the retaining walls, storm drainage and site grading.
- Underway: permanent grass where crews are finishing, handrails along the raised boardwalk, plaza terraces, the MSE walls, and a retaining wall faced in stone veneer.
- Next: beams and decking for the bridges, and the last electrical conduit work for future lighting.
Photos on that page are captioned September 2026 and show the finished MSE wall and the terrace work. True North's spring 2026 construction flyer called the project 25% complete. The bridges are still on the to-do list, so December 2026 is best read as the target, not a ribbon-cutting date. No opening ceremony has been announced.
The Alpha Link is the piece that actually joins the two systems
The connection to the Alpha Loop comes from a separate project the city calls the Alpha Link. Appen Media reported that at an Aug. 17 meeting, the Alpharetta City Council approved a $15.9 million, 18.5-month design-build contract with Reeves Young for a trail section of about a mile, running from Encore Parkway to Morrison Lake at Haynes Bridge Road. Appen says the trail will be 12 feet wide and lit, with a plaza at Encore Parkway, and will run through property next to GA 400.
CBS News Atlanta traced the route from the Alpha Loop near Morrison Lake, behind the Lakeview development, to the Big Creek Greenway at the new Encore Gateway. It also reported that the city's announcement gave no start date.
Even if construction began this month, an 18.5-month build would end in spring 2028. Until the Alpha Link opens, the gateway will connect North Point Parkway to the greenway, while the Alpha Loop stops on the other side of the gap.
Narrowing that gap took some work. According to Appen, city officials first priced the section at almost $25 million and brought the cost down through phasing and a land swap with the Georgia Department of Transportation. The funding, as Appen reported it, includes $10 million in transportation sales tax, about $4 million from the 2022 parks bond and almost $1 million from True North 400. CBS added that True North 400 is putting $977,411 toward a new plaza at Fanfare Way and Encore Parkway.
Councilmember Katie Reeves summed up the moment to Appen Media:
"We're almost to the Greenway, so that is kind of exciting."
There's a lot of Loop waiting on the other side. The Alpha Loop Foundation says more than seven miles are open, linking Downtown, Avalon and Northwinds. The Alpha Link would bring that network over to the North Point side. Appen notes it will tie into an Alpha Loop section that crosses GA 400 into the North Point area.
That same area is where the North Point Mall redevelopment plan was approved. Appen Media reported that the council voted 4-3 on Aug. 24 to approve the sports and entertainment district plan from New York Life and Jamestown, which centers on a 20,000-seat arena. The plan is tied to a potential National Hockey League franchise that North Point is competing for with The Gathering at South Forsyth. The trail projects are moving on their own schedules, whatever happens with the arena.
A preview on Sunday, Nov. 1
You can see Avalon and the greenway connected on a single course before the trail does it. The eighth annual Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon & 5K, presented by HOKA, runs Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, with a wave start at 7 a.m. According to the event's press release, the course winds through the Big Creek Greenway and Rock Mill Park, and the finish line is at Avalon. Both the half marathon and the 5K are open to walkers as well as runners. The race's course page has route details.
If you usually start a Sunday walk at the Rock Mill Park access on Kimball Bridge Road, Nov. 1 is a morning to check the course map before you head out.
Where to eat after the walk
Each of the North Point-side access points is a short drive from somewhere to eat, and some newer openings are in the mix.
- Chuan Tasty, at 5530 Windward Parkway, Suite 440, opened in August 2026, according to North Atlanta Star. It's the closest new option to the Marconi Drive end.
- Scoville Hot Chicken lists a location at 4620 Kimball Bridge Road, Unit 1, with ordering and daily hours on its Alpharetta page. It's on the same road as the Rock Mill Park access.
- Eddie V's Prime Seafood at 11405 Haynes Bridge Road is the dinner choice near the Haynes Bridge end, per the restaurant's location page.
- Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant at 7750 North Point Parkway has been open near the mall since February 2025, Atlanta Magazine reported. It's an easy stop after starting at the North Point Parkway access.
This fall, the greenway access closest to Encore Parkway is still the one behind Ethan Allen. In December, the new park two-tenths of a mile south is scheduled to give that stretch of North Point Parkway a real front door. The Alpha Link, the trail that will let you walk from that door to Avalon and Downtown on the Alpha Loop, is the project to watch for a start date.
If you live near one of these trailheads and are thinking about selling, greenway access is part of your home's story, and we can show it to buyers. The House Chick pairs staging with video tours that walk buyers from your front door to the trail, so they see how your home fits into everyday life on the North Point side. Schedule your free home valuation & staging consult, and let's put your greenway on camera.
