Louisville Loop Master Plan loopmasterplan_draft_041813sm_0 | Page 45

ent than other parts of the city. Other segments tend to follow natural features such
as the Ohio River or Floyds Fork. Due to the development of the region, no obvious
corridor or feature guided the conceptual alignment as presented in the Northeast
Segment of the Louisville Loop Master Plan and Design Guidelines, completed in
2012. The area includes a combination of residential and commercial land uses
mainly developed in the last 20-30 years and picturesque rolling hills and natural
settings. The car-dominated pattern of development and infrastructure presents
unique challenges, but also provide great opportunities for the Loop to connect with
a large segment of the city’s population.
Destinations: The Northeast region of Louisville will provide a rich array of
destinations for trail users. In this auto-centric environment, the Louisville Loop will
provide a valuable transportation alternative for residents, employees, and visitors.
Along the way there will be several key destinations within an accessible distance,
given the safe and appropriate facilities. The planning for the Loop alignment also
considered non-motorized access to destinations such as retail, education, and
other park and recreation facilities in the area. The ShelbyHurst Research and
Office Park, a 200-acre professional office and research campus being developed
around UofL’s Shelby Campus, will be within a short dist ance of the Loop alignment
near E.P. Sawyer State Park (pictured at right). The connection between the two
could occur through bike lanes, multi-use paths, and sidewalks. Twenty-two public
and private schools have been identified as well as 1,740 acres of park and natural
areas within a ¼ mile of the conceptual alignment. The route’s interface with road
corridors such as Shelbyville Road, Westport Road, Brownsboro Road, and U.S.
42 provides direct connection with public transit routes. Northeast Segment of the
Louisville Loop Master Plan and Design Guidelines provides further detail of these
connections and various route alternatives to potential destinations.
Community Facility Destinations w/in 1 Mile of Limestone Belt Northeast
segment:
• Small Communities and Neighborhoods including Anchorage,
Middletown, Jeffersontown, Douglass Hills, Woodland Hills, Lyndon,
Langdon Place, Plantation, Rolling Hills, Meadow Vale, and Prospect
• 14 schools
• 6 public parks
Challenges: Throughout the planning process for the Northeast Segment of the
Louisville Loop Master Plan, it was recognized that there were evident chal-
lenges to aligning the Loop route through the suburbanized environment of this
region. Without an obvious natural corridor or long segments of other regions,
the conceptual route was
challenged to keep a
defined trail segment. This
required careful consid-
eration for crossing major
roads such as Westport
Road, Brownsboro Road,
Shelbyville Road, US 42,
Interstates 265 and 71. In
addition, limited right-of-
way options in certain ar-
eas, and railroad crossings
presented several potential
barriers along the route.
Opportunities: The Limestone Belt Northeast region can potentially provide
greater connection to the Loop for more neighborhoods/communities than any
other region in the city. Its conceptual alignment has been planned to create a
central “branch” from which community connections can be made. These connec-
tions would link to community facilities, work sites, civic spaces, and regional trail
systems. Despite the lack of natural corridors for the route, there are many portions
of the planned alignment that provide public right-of-way options. Two segments
of the route will traverse a significant distance along Shelbyville Road and Hurst-
bourne Parkway. Despite heavier traffic volumes and higher speeds in these cor-
ridors, barriers are overcome by improved mobility options created through direct
links to established neighborhoods, multiple worksites, schools, and parks.
Another unique opportunity for the Louisville Loop in the Northeast portion of the
city is the connection to other trail systems in the region. There is great potential
to connect the Loop to the future Oldham County Greenway system along the
LaGrange Road and rail corridor. The Northeast Loop Trail will also connect to the
Ohio River Valley Northeast region of the Loop with direction connections to bicycle
and pedestrian facility planned on the East End Bridge. This link to the Indiana
communities provides other future potential trail connections.
Ohio River Valley Northeast
Length: 10 miles (approximately)
Physiographic Region: Ohio River Valley
Character: Riverside, Scenic, Pastoral
Highlights: Ohio River, Waterfront Park, Big 4 Bridge, Cox Park, Eva Bandman
Lousville Loop Master Plan
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