It's a relatively short stretch — about five miles. But the Oasis Rail Line between Sawyer Point and Lunken Airport represents the last major gap between Downtown Cincinnati and miles of bike and walking paths that stretch across the state.
Officials say they've taken a big step toward filling that gap. An agreement between the Indiana and Ohio Railway and the city of Cincinnati, Great Parks of Hamilton County and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority enables the construction of a shared-use path on the Oasis line.
Great Parks CEO Todd Palmeter says the path has been a long time coming.
"It's something we've been working on since 2009, actually, to take that 4.7-mile corridor of unused rail line and turn it into a trail for the community," he says. "We're really excited about it."
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SORTA owns the rail line, but the Indiana and Ohio Railway held an easement allowing it to run trains on the tracks. The agreement announced Tuesday means the railway will relinquish rights to use the northernmost set of tracks, allowing the path to be built. Trains will still run on the other tracks, but Palmeter says the path will be well-separated from them.
"So basically, it just becomes SORTA's property, and they can operate what they want on it," Palmeter says. "In this case, we're looking to do the multi-use, shared-use paved trail."
Great Parks will take the lead in the path's construction and day-to-day operations, Palmeter says. The parks system already manages trails up to Terrace Park that the Oasis path would link up with.
The completed trail is still years away. Planning and funding come next. Great Parks will consider bids to design and build the path.
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The total cost for the project is estimated at $13 million. SORTA contributed $3 million for the easement. Great Parks has $1 million set aside for engineering costs, and the Cincinnati Riding Or Walking Network (CROWN) has committed $2.75 million in privately donated funds. Great Parks will apply for federal and state grants for the rest of the costs.
When finished, the Oasis trail would allow easy access from Downtown through Lunken Airport's trails to the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which stretches 78 miles to Springfield. Other trails spanning Ohio branch out from that trail.