Louisville Loop Master Plan loopmasterplan_draft_041813sm_0 | Page 24

cluding the AASHTO Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities, (AAS-
HTO, 1999), the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Highway Design Manual
(Exhibit 1500-01). The Louisville Loop Trail guidelines use these
documents as a baseline for minimum conditions, and are intended to
facilitate creative solutions to a wide range of bicycle and pedestrian
facility types. It is recognized that when facilities are maintained by the
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the State’s design guidelines will
apply, and that Louisville has the potential to exceed these minimum
guidelines where conditions warrant on facilities within their jurisdiction.
Jefferson Memorial Forest Master Plan (2009)
In July 2009, Louisville Metro
Parks unveiled a new master
plan to guide future improve-
ments to the 6,191-acre Jef-
ferson Memorial Forest in the
Fairdale area. The master plan
provides a detailed vision for
future land acquisitions, public
facilities and nature/adventure programs at the Forest. In addition, this
plan also includes identification of a preliminary route and alignment
of the Louisville Loop. The inclusion of the Loop in the master plan
considers how various sections of the Forest will connect to the Loop
alignment, particularly from amenities such as Tom Wallace Lake,
Moreman’s Hill, the Welcome Center, the proposed Jeff Jack Resource
Management Center, and various hiking camping, and mountain biking
areas. Portions of the Loop through the Forest area will also include
an equestrian trail alongside the paved multi-use path accessed at the
Paul Yost and Equestrian Center sites.
Jefferson MeMorial forest Master Plan
Louisville Metro Parks
July 2009
Northeast Segment of the Louisville Loop
Master Plan and Design Guidelines (2012)
From 2007 through 2012, Louisville Metro Parks worked with the public
and leaders from neighborhoods and small cities in the northeastern
areas of Louisville Metro to identify the preliminary alternative routes
for this area’s segment of the Louisville Loop path. The study area for
this plan included the eastern portion of Jefferson County from I-264
to Oldham County and from the Ohio River to I-64. Due to the large
scope of area and need to analyze data and gather public input, the
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area was divided into three smaller
regions: Region 1 between the Ohio
River and I-71; Region 2 between
I-71 and Anchorage; and Region 3
between Anchorage and I-64. The
Northeast segment will connect
two other planned segments of the
Louisville Loop: the route through
the Parklands of Floyds Fork and
a shared-use path in the Ohio
River Valley Northeast region. The
planned alignment for the Loop
delineated in the Northeast Segment plan will begin in Prospect
and will terminate at Beckley Creek Park (former Miles Park) at
the head of the Parklands of Floyds Fork project. The plan-
ning process inventoried and analyzed the area’s general built
environment character, major community facilities, activity nodes
(specific areas where people live, work, or recreate), potential
opportunities, and potential points of conflict.
Over the five year period to develop the master plan, Metro
Parks led a comprehensive planning process determined by
proactive engagement of the community with professionals
in path development. The plan documents various issues
identified in the process such as how the path would be routed
through historic communities, be incorporated into neighbor-
hoods and add value to the area. One of the challenges of the
plan was the coordination among those entities with control of
rights-of-ways such as railroads and interstate corridors. From
2009-2011, Metro Parks met with concerned citizens, commu-
nity groups, CSX, and KYTC to work through these issues in
order to designate conceptual route alternatives. The concept
was built around the model that one defined route would pass
through the region with multiple connections feeding into the
main route. The main route would be the shared-use path and
the connections are made through the sidewalks, trails, bike
lanes, and other pedestrian facilities connecting the Loop to
community destination points.