Lexington, KY - A lot of work sure goes into a paved path about the width of a single interstate lane that stretches nearly 8.5 miles - and the actual paving is only a portion of the labor. But then, when you're creating something that will be an heirloom to the people of central Kentucky for generations to come, a lot of work is going to be required.
The Legacy Trail, a mixed-use bike and pedestrian path, opened to the public in September. Meant to be a lasting vestige of the World Equestrian Games, the trail will be around for decades after the last horse's hoof has exited the arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, where the competition is centered and the trail ends - or begins, depending on where you are coming from.
Currently, the trail weaves around and over bustling traffic corridors along Newtown Pike before meandering through iconic central Kentucky farmland north and south of Interstate 64, linking the North Side YMCA to the horse park.
Ultimately, the trail will link the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, which, along with the Legacy Trail, is another project made possible from a Knight Foundation grant under the stewardship of the Bluegrass Community Foundation, in Lexington's East End to the horse park.
While organizers meticulously work out the details of this final leg of the trail, its current incarnation is paved, but far from finished. Art installations, rain gardens, benches and other amenities are planned in the coming weeks and months. And coming years - as is the case with a particular stretch of the trail without any shade where a grove of trees is to be planted.
"One day this will be a really nice shaded part of the trail," said Steve Austin, Legacy Center director with Bluegrass Community Foundation. "When we're a lot older."
That sounds like a real legacy.