Ty Cole
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, Gov. Andy Beshear, former Mayor Jim Gray, and Congressman Andy Barr joined dozens of walkers, cyclists and folks who work or live downtown to officially open the 2.2-mile Town Branch Commons Trail in October.
“This trail is a path to economic vitality, to healthy living and to our beautiful Bluegrass countryside,” Gorton said. “It’s the kind of quality-of-life investment that people in Lexington treasure, and visitors travel here to enjoy.”
The trail is the vision of former Mayor Jim Gray, who won a federal TIGER grant in 2016 to provide most of the funding. “Town Branch Commons was a 10-year project born of imagination, persistence, determination and a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” said Gray, who is now Kentucky transportation secretary. “It’s a great example of the power of improved transportation to connect communities, boost the quality of life and offer a safe, multi-modal system that meets the needs of all its users.”
The multiuse trail roughly follows the path of historic Town Branch, Lexington’s original water source, through downtown. The design of the trail features lush stormwater landscaping using native grasses, flowers and trees, and a modern interpretation of Lexington’s dry-stacked limestone fences and paving details inspired by the karst geology found across Kentucky. The trail, which cost $22 million to construct with additional funding coming from local resources and state or federal grants, was awarded the 2022 Environmental Excellence Award by the Federal Highway Administration.