Oasis Trail: Land secured to build path connecting Downtown to suburbs

Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read

Cincinnatians are one step closer to biking on a path from downtown Cincinnati to Lake Erie.

Great Parks reached an agreement with Metro, the city of Cincinnati and the Indiana & Ohio Railway to acquire the corridor to build the Oasis Trail, which would connect Downtown to a network of Ohio trails, the organizations announced Tuesday in a release.

The Oasis Trail will be a 4.75-mile paved, shared-use trail that connects Sawyer Point to Lunken Airport.

“This is an incredibly significant moment in trail connectivity, and also a major milestone in addressing the top priority the public has identified for Great Parks – trail expansion and connections throughout Hamilton County," Great Parks CEO Todd Palmeter said in the release.

The path will connect to a series of regional and state trails. The Oasis Trail will extend the Ohio River Trail to connect Downtown to New Richmond. The Oasis Trail will also allow Downtown cyclists, runners and walkers to connect to the Lunken Airport Loop Trail and, from there, to the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail.

A map of the proposed Oasis Trail.
A map of the proposed Oasis Trail.

The trail will also make the route from Lake Erie to Downtown safer. Cyclists who bike from Lake Erie to the Ohio River could almost do so completely via trails, The Enquirer reported in 2021. The last leg of the journey, however, is completed by riding on Riverside Drive in Cincinnati. The Oasis Trail will provide a safer alternative route.

Supporters have fought nearly two decades for the trail amid political and legal issues. With the railroad easement acquired, Great Parks can now focus on designing and engineering the trail.

Cyclists ride from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
Cyclists ride from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.

There is still a way to go, however. Great Parks anticipates construction to begin "potentially by 2027," the release reads. The parties involved have not yet secured all necessary funding.

The total anticipated cost for all aspects of the project is over $13 million.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Great Parks acquired land for Oasis Trail through railroad easement