Gwinnett commissioners have accepted $1 million in federal funds to help build a section of the Ivy Creek Greenway that eventually will have a connection in Suwanee.

These funds will help design and build Section 3 of the greenway. Construction will start next summer at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford, according to a county news release.

The new portion of the greenway will wind through the woods for almost a mile before connecting to the existing trail that runs behind the Mall of Georgia, making a continuous length of over three miles, officials said.

The construction will includes a paved trail, a suspension bridge across the 100-year floodway, an information kiosk and a restroom facility.

Total design and construction costs are $1.8 million, including $800,000 from
the 2005 SPLOST sales tax program.

In November, county officials announced the opening of the section of the greenway at George Pierce Park.