Great Parks of Hamilton County reports it has the final piece of funding for a plan to connect several trail systems. The park district says it's been awarded a $6 million federal grant to complete the Glenwood Gardens to Winton Woods Trail.
The federal transportation funds are distributed by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program.
The planned trail extension is 3.6 miles, reaching from the West Fork Mill Creek Greenway Trail through Glenwood Gardens to the Harbor Loop Trail in Winton Woods.
Work is slated to begin in 2025 on this section of the trail. All together, the multi-use trail will connect 9 miles, passing through Forest Park, Greenhills, Woodlawn, Springfield Township and a wooded area of the Glenview Golf Course.
"This grant further highlights Great Parks' leadership in regional trail development which was the public's top priority in the development of the Great Parks Comprehensive Master Plan," writes Todd Palmeter, CEO of Great Parks in a release. "The Master Plan also calls for building more partnerships with trail-building entities and increasing the level of service for trails, both keys to this project."
The first phase of the project — building a bus stop, crosswalk and sidewalk near Glenwood Gardens at the existing end of the West Fork Mill Creek Greenway Trail — is slated to begin in 2023.
"This path builds on a broader vision to link major greenspaces in the Mill Creek Valley with a regional trail network," writes Wade Johnston, director of Tri-State Trails, in the release. "Over time, we hope to connect this corridor to Cincinnati's CROWN trail network to the south, the Great Miami River Trail to the north, and Sharon Woods to the east."
