LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Bikers, joggers, and dog-walkers can now easily cross Man O'War Boulevard in the Hamburg area.
Lexington officially opened the new Brighton Rail Trail bridge on Monday. The bridge not only provides bicyclists and pedestrians a safe way to cross one of the city's busiest streets, but it also connects the Hamburg area to various parks and neighborhoods.
"This is what people want," said Mayor Linda Gorton.
"[The Parks and Rec Board does] a survey every few years and they poll people: what amenity do you want the most and what amenity do you use the most," said Gorton. "Every survey has trails number one in both categories."
So, the City is putting a lot of work into its trail system. Currently, about $53 million in trail projects are in some phase of development across Lexington.
“With the support of federal grants, we have been able to build our wonderful trail system and continue to make it even better," said Gorton.
Lexington's Director of Engineering Doug Burton said these connection points are critical in making Lexington more pedestrian and bike-friendly.
"Instead of getting in their car to go to the grocery store or go to an entertainment venue - whether that be down to the distillery district to get some pizza and a beer - they can now hop on a trail and a bike and ride their bikes a couple of miles," said Burton.
Brighton Rail Trail was Lexington’s first rail trail, and it is the primary off-road shared-use trail in the eastern half of Fayette County. More than 40,000 people use Liberty Park, Brighton Rail, and the Gleneagles trails annually.
