Connect. Transform. Enjoy.

The Wasson Way Project

A shared bike and pedestrian path that gives individuals and families a place to get out and engage with their community actively, all the while protecting a resource for future transit.

The Wasson Way is a proposed path that will go 6.5 miles from Xavier University to the Little Miami Bike Trail in Newtown. It would give 120,000 people, living within one mile of the trail, access to a network of over 100 miles of bike and pedestrian trails, most of which already exist. With a short connector to Armleder Park near Lunken Airport, the network of trails will soon go from Coney Island to downtown, from Lunken Airport to Milford and beyond, eventually connecting to northern Ohio.

Over the last 20 years we’ve seen cities transition abandoned spaces such as these into remarkable greenways that enliven communities, increase commerce, and attract residents. In cities like Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Washington DC, which have urban trails, they are consistently mentioned as one of the best features of those cities.

The Wasson Road railroad tracks span the neighborhoods of Evanston, Norwood, Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt Lookout, Fairfax, and Mariemont. The neighborhoods of Walnut Hills, Avondale, North Avondale and even Roselawn and Bond Hill will be able to reach the Wasson Way via bike lanes along Victory Parkway. The trail begins at Xavier University, passes by Withrow High School, Rookwood Pavilion, Hyde Park Plaza, Ault Park, and ends at the beginning of the 78 mile Little Miami Bike Trail. You can go all the way to Dayton, OH or Urbana, OH on this trail! In the future, it will also connect to Cincinnati’s riverfront via the Ohio River Way Trail.

Car-free thoroughfares like this allow for families to walk to local businesses, give easier access to safe areas to exercise, and are great places for communities to connect, and increase property values.

Please note that part of the Wasson Way right-of-way still belongs to the railroad company, but the tracks have not been used for over two years. All the businesses that used the railroad tracks have been permanently changed to support residential activities. The railroad trestle over Red Bank Road is deteriorating and will require significant repairs, if it is to ever be used again.

We are a group of volunteers supporting the transformation of these tracks into a bike and pedestrian path that can be enjoyed by the community while protecting the right-of-way for the proposed transit rail. The Wasson Way is a non-profit organization. We hope you will join our efforts!

We will be updating the page regularly to let you know ways you can show your support to make this a reality. We would like to have as much public involvement as possible, at all stages of the project! Thank you!