City Council Votes 8-0 to Purchase Right of Way from Railroad
On Wednesday June 3rd, City Council voted in favor of purchasing the right of way for 4.1 miles of the Wasson Way from Norfolk Southern Railroad which will run from Dana Avenue to Red Bank Road. The vote was 8-0, with all of Council in favor and Councilman Winburn absent. This is a tremendous milestone for the Wasson Way project. We are grateful to the support of Mayor Cranley, City Council, and the many volunteers who have supported this project. We are pursuing multiple ways to acquire the right of way for the full 7.6 miles of trail which will run from Avondale through 12 neighborhoods to the Little Miami Bike Trail. The City will be applying for a Federal TIGER grant in June to fund the construction of the trail.
Multi-modal Transit Study for the Wasson Way
The UC Niehoff Urban Studio conducted a study throughout the 13/14 academic year on the the Wasson Way as a trail and light rail corridor. The following report titled, “Movement in the City“, highlights research and project proposals for Wasson Way. Students from urban planning, civil engineering, urban geography, and real estate collaborated with stakeholders across the city to develop these proposals.
Pedal4Paddy March 21st, 2015
oin us on Saturday, March 21st for the 5th annual Pedal4Paddy bike event. With multiple bike routes for all ages and abilities, the ride offers something fun for everyone in the family. It’s a great excuse to get out of the house to celebrate spring, biking, good food, local beer. A $20 donation is requested, and all donations will benefit the Wasson Way. Ride starts at 11:00am at 50 West Brewery, 7668 Wooster Pike.
Community Meetings Have Strong Turnout
OThe Wasson Way organization has held two community meetings to gather input on the trail design from neighborhoods adjacent to the trail. The most recent event was held on Tuesday October 28th at the Oakley Recreation Center, with over 55 people attending. The first event was held at Hyde Park Floral and Garden Center on Wednesday Oct 1st, with more than 50 community members also in attendance. The sessions were targeted to East Hyde Park and Wasson Road neighborhoods, respectively, and an additional 3 neighborhood meetings targeting different neighborhoods will be held in upcoming months. Residents asked questions and discussed their views about parking, lighting, privacy, access points, and landscaping. All the ideas shared in person and in writing are being documented and analyzed. We are grateful for all of the members of the community who attended to contribute their voice, and we look forward to hearing more input at future sessions.
Mt. Lookout Observatory Event
As part of the recent kick-off event for the 100 year anniversary for the East Hyde Park neighborhood, the Wasson Way was invited to set-up a booth and tell residents about the Trail. The East Hyde Park group has some very dramatic plans for their area which incorporate the WW. We are also excited to be working with Mt. Lookout to connect their 6,000 residents to the Trail. It was stepping back in time 100 years to be talking about bikes, the old Observatory, seeing pictures of Hyde Park, East Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout when they were farm fields, and looking through the antique telescope at the rings around Saturn!
Feasibility Study
The Wasson Way takes another major step forward with the completion of a Feasibility Study by local engineering and design firm KZF Design. The study, funded by Interact for Health Foundation, shows that there are no significant barriers to construct the 6.5 mile trail on an idle railroad corridor. The proposed trail will run from Xavier University to the Little Miami Bike Trail in Newtown, through the neighborhoods of Evanston, Norwood, Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt. Lookout, Fairfax and Mariemont. The trail would connect over 100,000 people east of I75 to more than 100 miles of bike trails. The Feasibility Study confirmed that the construction costs were in line with original projections. Depending on the features added to the Wasson Way, the cost estimates to build the Trail are $7.5 – $11.2 million.
