Legacy Trail Project
BACKGROUND
The Legacy Trail is a proposed shared-use greenway trail that will connect Downtown Lexington with area neighborhoods, parks, and historic sites as it follows a northward course to the Kentucky Horse Park. The trail is a significant component of Lexington’s Greenway Master Plan (a broad network of “shared-use” routes) and is designated as part of the North South Trail.
The Legacy Trail is an important project for the 2010 Alltech Equestrian games. As a legacy project, the trail’s importance to the community will extend beyond 2010. The trail will also be educational, highlighting the trail area’s historical and cultural significance, promote environmental awareness and incorporate locally developed public art. The Legacy Center will convene meetings of the public and specific stakeholders to assist with fleshing out these aspects of the trail.
In order to construct this project as soon as possible, the corridor has been divided into four sections. The two northernmost segments, Maine Chance Trail and Coldstream Trail, are currently funded. The two remaining sections of the Legacy Trail have been designated as the Lexmark Section and the Downtown Section.
The work required for the project is three-fold:
- perform a planning and feasibility study for the entire corridor; after which
- develop construction documents and plans for the Maine Chance Trail segment;
- develop construction documents for the Coldstream Trail segment.
Feasibility Study
The feasibility study is to determine an alignment of the Legacy Trail between downtown and the Kentucky Horse Park.
The Feasibility Study is intended to answer or address the following items:
- Identify the best alignment for the construction of the trail.
- Identify the property owners involved or affected, and describe the best instrument for acquisition.
- Investigate the availability of right-of-way and potential access especially through the industrial areas, neighborhoods, rail corridors, and state highways.
- Identify the potential environmental impacts and potential engineering issues including possible FEMA, Division of Water and Corps of Engineers involvement.
- Calculate the estimated costs of design, construction, operation, and maintenance, including preliminary design alternatives with typical sections, alignments, profiles; utility investigation, location of major structures, drainage areas, and right-of way information.
- Inventory and assemble maps and other data such as ecological resources; historic, archaeological, and cultural resources; destinations, environmental assessment for hazardous materials; flood hazard evaluation; land use; social and economic factors; geological features and topography; location of utilities.
- Provide color renderings/illustrations for public meetings.
The Study will identify and develop preliminary corridors and recommend feasible corridors including, if possible, a preferred alternative. This study will help the LFUCG decide which alignment to pursue.
Visit the Legacy Center Website
Slides
