WAKE FOREST - One of the area's most popular greenways is close to being reopened. The Smith Creek Greenway had been undergoing repairs since November and Bill Crabtree, public affairs director for the town of Wake Forest, says all the work is nearly done.

"But the City of Raleigh and the contractor that's working on behalf of the city are still in the process of finishing up a few of the items on the punch list," Crabtree says.

Crabtree says the greenway is expected to reopen either late this month or early June.

"It looks, for all practical purposes, like it's ready to be reopened. So we've gotten a lot of questions from the community as to why it hasn't officially reopened," Crabtree says. "All of the construction simply isn't completed. It may look like it's completed, but it's not."

The closed sections of the Smith Creek Greenway stretch from Burlington Mills Road to the Neuse River bridge and Crabtree says, when that section reopens, parking around it will stay closed.

"In the coming months, they're going to install landscaping materials that will permanently eliminate any parking in that area," he says. "We recognize that that's going to be an adjustment for people who enjoy using the trail."

Crabtree says the informal parking spot is actually a Department of Transportation easement, leading to the department installing obstructions. But he says there are other entry points to the greenway that allow for parking.

"For example, 6100 Thornton Rd. in Raleigh. That's a good access point," he says. "Then there's Horseshoe Farm Road in Raleigh.  Those are some access points that are not too far from Wake Forest where people can still access the trail and park."

The entrance to the greenway at Horseshoe Road is currently undergoing repairs as well and is expected to reopen in late May.