There's still a long way to go to get to the finish line on the conversion of a rail corridor into a bike trail that could connect important parts of the city, but Cincinnati is currently pulling lots of purse strings to make it happen.
Chris Wetterich reports on the goings on with the proposed Wasson Way bike trail in Cincinnati, where local officials recently sent a request for funding from the state to help make the plan a reality.
Mayor John Cranley and City Manager Harry Black sent the letter, which sums up the ambition of the project:
"The trail utilizes an existing, unused rail corridor and, when completed, will connect eight Cincinnati neighborhoods and the communities of Norwood, Mariemont and Fairfax and 83,000 people living within 1 mile of the trail….It will provide alternative access to five major development sites, including sites at Xavier University and near Uptown, and will help make our community more attractive to families and to the talented skilled workforce that will propel the economy of the region."
So far the project has brought in a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and a $12 million purchase agreement with Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. "to buy 4.1 miles of track needed for the project," according to Wetterich. The article includes more details about the funding requirements for the project, along with some maps and conceptual renderings of the potential addition to the city.
FULL STORY: Cincinnati identifies a new source to fund Wasson Way
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