Heading Downtown? There might be a new path

• Group works to create bike%2C walking trail from Lunken to Downtown
• Oasis trail could be finished by early 2017
• Feds%2C transit authority must approve trail plan

Years of efforts by a group of East Side residents to convert an unused rail line between Downtown and Lunken Airport into a bike and pedestrian trail in order to help attract new residents and jobs could be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Cincinnati City Council last month decided to solely commit to converting part of the Oasis rail line into a trail – ending a decade of bureaucratic wheel-spinning over where to build an East Side recreation path near the Ohio River.

More hurdles still exist, but in a few years it could be possible to live in an apartment overlooking the river, jump on the nearby trail and head Downtown for work at General Electric's new offices at The Banks, a Reds game or lunch on Fountain Square without the hassles of traffic and parking.

"This is a huge economic-development tool," said Wym Portman, a board member of Ohio River Way, a nonprofit advocating for the Oasis trail. "It all boils down to building the vitality of the urban core."

Converting a 4-mile stretch of the Oasis rail line is estimated to cost $4 million, and the trail could be done by early 2017. Ohio River Way already has raised $1 million, including $200,000 from the city. The group is confident it can get private donors to cover the remaining costs. The project also has to be approval by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority and Federal Transit Administration.

"I'm committed to getting the Oasis line completed," said Councilwoman Amy Murray, chairwoman of council's transportation committee. "It's been going slowly for years, but it's time to get off the dime."

The trail could do more than just connect a handful of city neighborhoods to Downtown. It's a key link to finishing a trail system that would connect Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. That 315-mile trail network, known as the Ohio to Erie Trail, is nearly 90 percent done.

Another key link that still needs to be built is a stretch of the Little Miami Scenic Trail from Lunken Airport to Newtown. Great Parks of Hamilton County has secured $2.6 million for most of the extension and plans to begin work on it early next year.

It will take a year to expand the trail from Newtown to the east side of the Beechmont Levee, said Jack Sutton, Great Parks executive director. It would then require another $6 million to build a bridge over the Little Miami to connect the trail to Lunken. Great Parks is working on funding for the bridge.

The Downtown-to-Lunken and Lunken-to-Newtown stretches are the missing parts of the the trail system between here and Columbus. Once a 30-mile stretch between Columbus and Cleveland is completed, the trail will link Cincinnati to Northeast Ohio.

Several local business leaders, East Side residents and cycling enthusiasts have worked for years to connect the trails. Ohio River Way was formed in 2006 to promote the Ohio River as a valuable asset through projects and events.

Last year, Green Umbrella, a nonprofit working to preserve greenspace across the region, formed a bike and pedestrian trail alliance – a big step toward getting residents, groups and agencies working together on the grander trail network.

Advocates viewed the city's decision on the Oasis line as a big step toward moving forward with that network.

"I don't think we had the leadership to think through what this means, and each trail was working with blinders on," Portman said. "Now with the new mayor (John Cranley) and Green Umbrella, we've all come together and realized we need this whole network of trails to work together in order to be successful."

City shuns grant for park trail to act now

In making the decision to focus on the Oasis trail, City Council turned down a potential $4 million federal grant to continue studying a trail running along the Ohio River between Lunken and Downtown.

Expanding the Ohio River Trail has been estimated to cost $20 million, a big reason it's been stuck in the planning stage for years. Planners say they may have run into problems with some property owners over gaining access to build the trail.

Others, however, question why the city would turn down the money when it's been planning the project for years and would only have another two to three miles to expand it.

"What a waste," Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said. "Where would people rather bike, next to a rail line or through park space next to the Ohio River? Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."

The Oasis corridor includes two parallel-running rail lines that extend 16 miles from the Montgomery Inn Boathouse in Downtown east to Lunken Airport and then north to GE Aviation in Evendale. Ohio River Way's plan calls for the north rail line between Lunken and the boathouse to be converted into the bike and pedestrian trail. The line mostly runs along the hillside between Columbia Parkway and Riverside Drive.

Trains have not operated on the north line since the 1980s, and trees and weeds are grown over many portions of the track. Ohio River Way wants to remove the north tracks and build a paved trail. Freight trains use the south line two to three times a day, and the Cincinnati Dinner Train uses it every Saturday night. The plan is for it to remain an active rail line.

How hard will it be to win final agreement?

Multiple stakeholders must first come to an agreement on the trail plan. Councilwoman Murray led a group of about 20 people representing the city, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman's office, Ohio River Way and Great Parks of Hamilton County on a tour of the Oasis line last week.

The transit authority, which has owned the Oasis corridor right-of-way since 1994, will have to approve the trail plan. Jason Dunn, the authority's chairman, said the transit board is open to Ohio River Way's idea, but it first wants stakeholders to work out all their issues. The board plans to form a subcommittee in the next few weeks to bring all interested parties together.

The authority also will have to ask for the federal government's permission to convert the rail line into a trail. The feds denied a similar request by SORTA in 2008 because the line wasn't being used for transit. Many believe that won't be a problem now because Sen. Portman supports the project. He lives in Terrace Park, and his brother is Wym Portman, the Ohio River Way board member.

Yet rails-to-trails projects can be complex, time-consuming and cause hand-wringing over liability and right-of-way access. Freight companies have safety and liability concerns, and they're often reluctant to give up even unused rail lines in case the economy changes and demand increases for the shipping of certain goods and materials.

"It's not that easy," Portune said.

Ohio River Way officials, however, say running a bike and pedestrian trail adjacent to an active rail line isn't a problem. The few trains that run on the Oasis line travel at a maximum speed of 10 mph, transit authority officials said. Ohio River Way officials also point to a trail between Urbana and Bellfontaine in west-central Ohio, where railroad companies have agreed to have a bike and recreation trail built next to an active rail line.

The group is pushing for SORTA and Great Parks to enter an agreement to have the parks district operate and maintain the Oasis trail. Portune isn't happy about the plan, because he wants to preserve both rail lines for a future Eastern Corridor passenger train.

A draft of Ohio River Way's agreement, however, says SORTA maintains the right to use the trail for future transit use, leaving open the possibility of an Eastern Corridor rail line.

"This is not a linear park," said Terrace Park resident Don Mills, a board member of Ohio River Way. "It's a multimodal transportation system. We're trying to make sure that everyone is comfortable."

Staff writer Sharon Coolidge contributed.