Louisville Loop Master Plan loopmasterplan_draft_041813sm_0 | Page 50
provide approximately a 140-foot cross-section with distinctive 40-foot
green verges to each side with double rows of trees. Many of these
tree rows contain historic pin and red oaks, providing a majestic tree
canopy. These characteristics along with a relatively level topography
make the western Parkways a very suitable environment to bicycle and
walk. Portions of the western Parkways pass through some of Louis-
ville’s most intensive industrial areas, but the majority of the route is
residential with a mix of single-family and medium-density multi-family
housing.
As Algonquin Parkway approaches the University of Louisville, the
trail system will enter what the “Olmsted Parkway Shared-Use Path
System Master Plan” termed “The Hub.” Due to years of infrastructure
fragmentation mainly from railroad crossings near the University of Lou-
isville, the juncture of the Eastern, Southern, and Algonquin Parkways
never connected as was intended under the original Olmsted design.
The “Hub” as conceptualized in the Master Plan outlines multiple op-
tions for creating non-motorized connections.
Southern Parkway was the earliest constructed parkway. It was built the
closest to the Olmsted ideal with model sections showcasing a broad
central drive, flanking sidewalks, bicycle/bridle trails, service drives
and pedestrian walks to the outer perimeter and a broad expanse of
green turf planted with rows of trees throughout. It is a 2.6-mile corridor
extending from Wayside Park and Harlan Avenue to Iroquois Park and
New Cut Road and will provide a key connection to the Loop and other
parts of central Louisville as well as to points south.
The campus of the University of Louisville is the nexus between west-
ern Louisville and the eastern neighborhoods along Eastern Parkway.
The Parkway is approximately 3.2 miles. As with Southern Parkway,
Eastern Parkway has a central vehicular drive and two flanking green
turf areas. However, Eastern Parkway has two significant differences
- a narrower 120-foot cross section and an absence of service drives.
Despite these differences, the feel and character of Eastern Parkway is
very similar to Southern Parkway in many sections. Eastern Parkway’s
topography is the most varied amongst the parkways with gradual
changes, especially as the route approaches Cherokee Park in the
Highlands neighborhood.
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Destinations: The Olmsted Parkway shared-use trail system
will become an essential alternative transportation corridor. Due
to its central location, the system provides key links to many of
the city’s most important cultural, economic, and social destina-
tions. The population and employment densities along the
corridors are among the highest in the city with direct connec-
tions to worksites, residential areas, recreational areas, high-
frequency transit routes, retail services, and educational sites.
These conditions make it one of the key transportation facilities
of Louisville’s alternative transportation network.
The western parkways of Northwestern, Southwestern and
Algonquin provide direct access to the Olmsted Parks of
Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Algonquin. In addition, several
important industrial areas such as Rubbertown and Park Hill
Industrial Corridor are directly adjacent to the western Park-
ways. Algonquin Parkway connects directly to the Park Duvalle
neighborhood and its various schools, parks, open spaces, and
retail services. Park DuValle was one of the early models of the
HOPE VI program, completely redeveloping the site of former
low-income apartments into a mixed-use, mixed income neigh-
borhood following New Urbanism design principles.
At the core of the Olmsted Parkway system is the University of
Louisville. As previously mentioned, the “Hub” will provide ac-
cess to other destinations such as Old Louisville and Downtown
to the north and the southern neighborhoods along Southern
Parkway. Churchill Downs, Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and
other University athletic venues, the Kentucky Fairgrounds and
Exposition Center lies a short distance to the south. Southern
Parkway meets the 700 acre Iroquois Park and provides access
to the Manslick and St. Andrews Church Road areas. Farther
south along New Cut Road it links to Fairdale and the Jefferson
Memorial Forest.
Eastern Parkway provides key connections to many destinations
in the eastern neighborhoods such as Germantown/Schnitzel-
burg and the Highlands area. Approximately two miles from the
University of Louisville lay Bardstown Road, one of the Lou-
isville’s iconic retail corridors. This node serves as a juncture