Grading work is underway for an expansion of Veterans Park, according to a city of Fayetteville news release.

The city recently acquired surplus property from the N.C. Department of Transportation that will be used for the expansion, according to the release. The 8-acre site is near the intersection of Bragg Boulevard, Rowan Street and Murchison Road and became available after DOT replaced the Rowan Street bridge.

Design for the project, known as Veterans Park II, is nearing completion. Construction is expected to begin after bids are awarded and to be completed within a year, the release said.

The park will include green space and a parade grounds, a “hero’s walk,” parking and a pedestrian bridge connecting to the existing Veterans Park.
Excess soil from the grading process will be used for other parks and recreation projects, including Senior Center East, Mazarick Park Tennis Center and Mabel C. Smith Park, the release said.

Those projects and the Veterans Park expansion are being financed by a $35 million parks and recreation bond package approved by city voters in 2016, according to the release.

Another project financed by that bond package, the Bill Crisp Senior Center, is scheduled to open at the end of October near Lake Rim.