Construction crews are reshaping three Durham parks along the Eno River this fall, swapping out aging playgrounds for inclusive equipment and accessible paths at River Forest Park, Old Farm Road Park, and American Village Park. River Forest and Old Farm Road parks also include flood-resiliency measures. Durham Parks and Recreation estimates that River Forest Park and Old Farm Road Park will reopen in spring 2027.
Durham Parks and Recreation says River Forest Park and Old Farm Road Park are both getting new inclusive playground equipment, accessible paths, fresh landscaping, and picnic shelters, with completion estimated for spring 2027. According to an announcement from the City of Durham, the designs at all three parks reflect community input, while River Forest and Old Farm Road include measures meant to improve flood resiliency. That spring 2027 completion window comes from a City of Durham update published this month.
Work at River Forest Park began in late August, according to Durham Parks and Recreation, and the North Durham park is staying partially open during construction, with active work zones fenced off. The park's section of the multi-state Mountains-to-Sea Trail remains open throughout the project, per Durham Parks and Recreation, and the broader site also includes athletic fields and a basketball court.
American Village's Smaller Footprint Means a Full Closure
American Village Park in West Central Durham will begin its own construction phase this month and continue the work into early 2027. Unlike River Forest, which can stay partially open, the department's project page notes that American Village will close completely during construction because of its smaller footprint. Once finished, the park will get a new inclusive playground, safety surfacing, accessible connections, and landscaping.
Old Farm Road Park rounds out the trio of neighborhood sites. Construction crews are handling access differently at each location.
Part of a Bigger Push Along the River Corridor
These three neighborhood projects are only one piece of a much larger capital push along the Eno River. Durham Parks and Recreation is also running a $5.3 million Capital Improvement Program project at West Point on the Eno Park, adding new playgrounds and nearly doubling parking there from 96 spaces to around 200. That park closed in July 2026 for extensive ADA upgrades and renovation work, the department says.
The emphasis on accessibility traces back two decades. As INDY Week reports, a 2005 U.S. Department of Justice settlement identified accessibility violations at 24 city facilities built or renovated after 1992, including West Point on the Eno, with the original audit citing unpaved lots and inaccessible pathways. That history helps explain why ADA-compliant paths and inclusive play structures have become a consistent feature of Durham's current park redesigns.
Flood resiliency is a design priority at River Forest and Old Farm Road parks, and it is not abstract for anyone who walks the Eno River trails. Severe flooding and tree damage from Tropical Storm Chantal in July 2025 battered trails and park infrastructure across the watershed, with the Eno River Association noting the storm damaged tens of thousands of trees along the river's 40-mile corridor. That damage is part of why the designs at those two parks incorporate flood-resilient measures.
Not All Durham Parks Are Reopening This Easily
The playground investment along the Eno River is landing at a moment when access to city play space elsewhere in Durham remains uneven. Five other Durham parks remain closed or restricted due to ongoing concerns over lead soil contamination, according to a report from ABC11, after heavy metals testing triggered multi-year closures at several urban sites. Against that backdrop, finishing new, accessible playgrounds at River Forest, Old Farm Road, and American Village carries extra weight for families who have fewer nearby options in the meantime.
To keep residents in the loop, Durham Parks and Recreation launched a video series called Park Progress in September 2026, tracking construction milestones and accessibility updates across the city's parks; the series debuted with coverage of the West Point on the Eno project. The department also opened a community survey that same month letting residents vote on playground equipment choices for Hillside Park, a separate effort that runs through October 8 and underscores that the Eno River upgrades are part of a wider citywide playground replacement push.
