{"id":186,"date":"2015-12-20T13:31:44","date_gmt":"2015-12-20T18:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/?p=186"},"modified":"2016-11-15T13:33:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-15T18:33:24","slug":"construction-on-six-miles-of-town-branch-and-legacy-trails-to-begin-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/?p=186","title":{"rendered":"Construction on six miles of Town Branch and Legacy trails to begin in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BY BETH MUSGRAVE,\u00c2\u00a0bmusgrave@herald-leader.com<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Work on four-mile section of Town Branch Trail from Alexandria Drive to Forbes Road will begin in 2016<\/p>\n

Construction on 2 miles of Legacy Trail from Jefferson Street to Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden will begin in summer<\/p>\n

City still needs up to $15 million for the final section of Town Branch Trail, from Forbes Road to Oliver Lewis Way<\/p>\n

\nRead more here: http:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/news\/local\/counties\/fayette-county\/article50797555.html#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/div>\n

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Construction of key sections of both the Town Branch and Legacy trails will begin in 2016 as Lexington works toward connecting its two longest trails to make a continuous 20-mile loop from horse country through downtown and back to its rural landscape.<\/p>\n

City officials say the remaining two-mile section of the Legacy Trail from Jefferson Street to the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden will begin construction this summer, which will complete the nearly 12-mile trail.<\/p>\n

Construction will begin on a four-mile section of Town Branch Trail from Alexandria Drive to Manchester Street and Forbes Road in 2016, city officials said last week.<\/p>\n

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Those six miles of trails will be the most trail miles the city has constructed in the past six years. The four-mile stretch of Town Branch will be built in three sections and cost a little less than $6.5 million, which will be paid for through state-federal funding. The two-mile segment of the Legacy Trail section will cost $3.7 million. It too will be paid for with state-federal transportation funds.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taken more than a decade for Lexington to get its now-popular trail system off the ground as acquisition of land, the complexities of building trails through downtown, and a lack of funding have forced the two trails to be completed in sections.<\/p>\n

Town Branch Trail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first half-mile paved stretch for walking and biking, which starts near Masterson Station on the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s northwest side, opened in fall 2005. An 8.5-mile portion of the Legacy Trail \u00e2\u20ac\u201d from the North Loudon YMCA to near the Kentucky Horse Park\u00e2\u20ac\u201d opened in September 2010. That project was completed in anticipation of the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games. Federal stimulus and other funding helped the city develop and build the 8.5-mile section.<\/p>\n

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THE VERY FIRST MEETING WE HAD PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THESE TRAILS WERE GOING TO BE A ROUTE FOR TERRORISTS \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 . THEY THOUGHT THESE PATHS ARE ONLY GOING TO BE USED BY CRIMINALS. NOW, THE WHOLE MIND-SET HAS SHIFTED. \u00c2\u00a0-Van Meter Pettit, president of Town Branch Trail Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Over the years, the city has added additional miles to both trails as funding trickled in.<\/p>\n

Van Meter Pettit, president of Town Branch Trail Inc., said that when the idea of a continuous trail system was first discussed more than a decade ago, Lexington residents were suspicious.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The very first meeting we had people who thought these trails were going to be a route for terrorists \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 . They thought these paths are only going to be used by criminals,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pettit said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now, the whole mind-set has shifted.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The city knew the trails were popular but now has numbers to prove it.<\/p>\n

In September, new electronic counters on the Legacy Trail clocked 13,509 trips by bicyclists.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That does not include pedestrians,\u00e2\u20ac\u009dsaid Keith Lovan, a city engineer who has overseen the design and construction of the Legacy and Town Branch trails. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are in the process of trying to determine how many pedestrians are on the trail based on the number of bicyclists.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lovan said the development of the trail system has been slow because Lexington is creating a 20-mile trail loop through some land it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t own and must navigate creeks, railroads, utilities and state highways. Many cities have converted former railroad lines to trails, which is much easier.<\/p>\n

Pettit agreed.<\/p>\n

Town Branch Trail goes through one of the oldest commercial corridors in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That is infinitely harder than rail to trail,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pettit said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It takes an enormous amount of cooperation. Most would say it was impossible, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great testament to Lexington that we have been able to get this done.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Town Branch<\/h3>\n

In September 2014, then-Gov. Steve Beshear announced $6.5 million in state-federal funding for a nearly four-mile stretch of Town Branch Trail.<\/p>\n

Town Branch Trail is now complete from Masterson Station to Alexandria Drive. That $6.5 million will be used to build the next three phases of the trail. Construction probably will begin on the next section \u00e2\u20ac\u201d phase 3, from Alexandria Drive to Bizzel Drive \u00e2\u20ac\u201d in the spring, said Lovan. The fourth phase, a very short section, will cost $1.01 million. It will pass under a bridge that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet rebuilt as part of the New Circle Road widening project.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That has already been completed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lovan said of the bridge.<\/p>\n

Another key portion of Town Branch Trail will include a rebuilt intersection into McConnell Springs on Old Frankfort Pike. Because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a state road, the city has to work with the Transportation Cabinet to redo that intersection, which the city hopes will include a traffic light.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are making improvements to the actual intersection,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lovan said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are also rebuilding the entrance into the fire training center (which is across the street). All of that has to be completed before we do the trail.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

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THE CITY HAS AN ENGINEERING REPORT ON THE FINAL SEGMENT OF TOWN BRANCH TRAIL (FROM FORBES ROAD TO OLIVER LEWIS WAY) THAT SHOWS COSTS FOR THAT PORTION OF THE TRAIL PROBABLY WILL BE $13 MILLION TO $15 MILLION.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

That pedestrian-friendly intersection into McConnell Springs will be a boon not only for trail users but for the park, Pettit said. McConnell Springs is tucked behind heavy industry on Old Frankfort Pike. To get there, people have to drive. Once that intersection and that key connector are finished, more people will find their way to McConnell Springs.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If they are connected to greenways, the use of these parks goes way up,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pettit said.<\/p>\n

The three sections will be constructed at the same time, Lovan said. That way if a hiccup occurs, one problem won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bring construction of the entire trail to a standstill, he said.<\/p>\n

Lovan said he hoped the four-mile section would be completed in 2017. But because construction involves so many moving parts, a completion date is difficult to predict, Pettit said.<\/p>\n

At the same time construction continues on the Town Branch, the city will be seeking funding for the final segment of the trail from Forbes Road to Oliver Lewis Way.<\/p>\n

The city has an engineering report that shows costs for that portion of the trail probably will be $13 million to $15 million.<\/p>\n

Lovan said the city would be going after city-federal transportation grants and any other type of funding to get that key section of the trail \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which includes the Distillery District on Manchester \u00e2\u20ac\u201d funded.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will continue to apply for grants and looking for whatever sources of funding we can find,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lovan said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve broken it down into smaller sections in order to find money to fund it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Town Branch Commons<\/h3>\n

City officials have said they hope construction on the downtown portion of the Town Branch Trail, the Town Branch Commons, also will begin in 2016.<\/p>\n

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$10 million bond money for Town Branch Commons in this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s city budget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Although Town Branch Commons is funded differently from the Town Branch Trail, it is part of the eight-mile Town Branch trail system. Mayor Jim Gray has pushed for its funding and construction for the past several years. The city set aside $10 million in bond money for the project in this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s budget. In addition, Beshear pledged nearly $6 million in state-federal transportation money for the Commons, which will include not only a trail but a series of pocket parks when completed. In addition, the city has applied for a $5.6 million low-interest state loan.<\/p>\n

When completed, Town Branch Commons will stretch from the Isaac Murphy Art Garden \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a trail head for the Legacy Trail \u00e2\u20ac\u201dto Oliver Lewis Way \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the beginning of the Town Branch trail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rural section.<\/p>\n

With the state money, construction on a section of the Commons will begin along Midland Avenue in 2016, city officials have said.<\/p>\n

In addition to state and federal money, the city hopes to raise more than $50 million in private money to build the pocket parks along the Commons and to pay for other amenities.<\/p>\n

Legacy Trail<\/h3>\n

The two-mile remaining section of the Legacy Trail from Jefferson to Fourth streets will mean moving the trail onto city streets. That also will mean the loss of some on-street parking. The city held public meetings to inform people who live in the area of the trail, but those meetings were not well attended, Lovan said.<\/p>\n

He said the city is going to follow up with letters to affected residents to ensure people know about possible changes and the loss of parking to make room for the trail on Fourth Street. Transylvania University received a grant from the state to cover portions of the trail that goes on its property. Transylvania also is providing a match for that funding, Lovan said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will have markers on the street and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be painting the bike lanes green,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lovan said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It will impact people mostly on Fourth and Third streets.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We plan to have more public meetings possibly in March and April and then get started sometime in the spring or summer of 2016.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

In addition, the state \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which owns the Kentucky Horse Park \u00e2\u20ac\u201d is in the process of building an additional 1.8-mile section of the trail from the park. Currently the trail ends at the Fayette County line, Lovan said.<\/p>\n

Once completed, people will be able to travel from Masterson Station through downtown to the horse park on foot or by bicycle, Pettit said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unique not only in Kentucky but also in the country,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pettit said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We are able to go from horse country through downtown and then back out to horse country.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

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Beth Musgrave:\u00c2\u00a0859-231-3205<\/a>,\u00c2\u00a0@HLCityhall<\/a><\/p>\n


\nRead more here: http:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/news\/local\/counties\/fayette-county\/article50797555.html#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/div>\n

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BY BETH MUSGRAVE,\u00c2\u00a0bmusgrave@herald-leader.com\u00c2\u00a0 Work on four-mile section of Town Branch Trail from Alexandria Drive to Forbes Road will begin in 2016 Construction on 2 miles of Legacy Trail from Jefferson Street to Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden will begin in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.townbranch.org\/info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}