Louisville Loop Master Plan loopmasterplan_draft_041813sm_0 | Page 34

compromised the full use of the original alignment of the RiverWalk trail,
resulting in temporary closure of unsafe trail sections.
Opportunities: The RiverWalk presents many unique opportunities as
the “gateway” to the city. The adjacent areas of high residential and
employment density along with the region’s attractions in the Downtown
core, it will be essential to create a world class trail out of the River-
Walk. One of the first opportunities is to evaluate and assure a contigu-
ous and inviting environment along the Louisville Wharf to assure
bicycle and pedestrian safety and comfort. This will include the need to
identify and create safe connections from the downtown and adjacent
neighborhoods through protected routes. Improvements to upgrade the
width, lighting, and other amenities are needed to create an world-class
facility in the downtown area, especially in the trail portion from 4th
Street west to 9th Street under Interstate 64.
Ohio River Valley –Levee Trail
Length: 15 miles (approximately)
Physiographic Region: Ohio River Valley
Character: Pastoral, Industrial, Waterfront, Historic
Highlights: Riverview Park, Riverside Park at Farnesly-Moreman Land-
ing, Mill Creek Bridge, Rubbertown, Ohio River Views
The Levee Trail section of
the Louisville Loop captures
how people have connected
with the river for thousands
of years. Archeology in the
corridor documents the story
of ancient civilizations on the
riverbanks, the highly fertile
soils of the agricultural history
and the river-related transpor-
tation of the modern day
from industry to recreation.
Along the approximately
15-miles of trail are some of
the most industrial portions
of the city within minutes of
panoramic views of the Ohio
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River. The Levee Trail section of the Loop connects parks and
areas throughout the Ohio River and Mill Creek valleys and
tells the story of the river and its people. Historic Chickasaw
Park connects to the rich heritage of the Olmsted legacy and
the African-American heritage of the community. Through the
Rubbertown section, the landscape represents Louisville’s long
economic ties to the river from wartime economies and post-war
market products in the chemical and rubber product indus-
tries. This dynamic corridor of the Louisville Loop is the most
established of the segments with much of the trail in operation
since the mid-1990s. A significant portion of the alignment is
atop the flood levee opened in 2000; however portions lie within
the street right-of-way or are on a shared-use path. The Levee
Trail provides the community a direct link to the southwest of
Louisville from its central core.
Description: The Levee Trail segment of the Louisville Loop
begins at the 10-mile marker near the intersection of 41st
Street and Algonquin Parkway. This segment interfaces
with off-road trail segment along Algonquin Parkway, linking
with the RiverWalk in the direction of Downtown and east to
the neighborhoods along the Olmsted Parkways Algonquin,
Eastern, and Southern. A one-mile off-road section between
I-264 and the industrial properties on the west link the Parkway
to Campground Road. Beginning at Campground Road, the
trail becomes on-road bike lanes for the next three miles. From
Lees Lane south, the trail then begins its interface atop the Le-
vee wall and other off-road portions for the next 8.3 miles before
arriving at Farnsley-Moremen Landing, an historic homestead
and Metro Park. Near the 15.5 mile marker and the Mill Creek
crossing, one of the Loop’ highlights is the new single-span Mill
Creek Bridge, one of the Southeastern United States’ longest
spanning pedestrian/bicycle bridges. The new segment of the
Loop connects the RiverWalk to the Ohio River Levee Trail via a
series of on and off-street facilities that totals 6.5 miles in length.
A significant highlight of the Levee Trail experience is the arrival
at mile-marker 22.5 and Riverside, the Farnsley-Moreman
Landing. By 2013, the trail will extend 2.5 miles along the levee
south at Watson Lane and Dixie Highway before eventually go-
ing east to Jefferson Memorial Forest.