A $3.76 million federal grant will pay for 1.5 miles of new Town Branch Trail from Old Frankfort Pike to Bizzell Drive, with work planned to start in the summer.

Lexington has won $3.76 million in federal money to build the next stretch of Town Branch Trail. The grant pays for phases 4 and 5, about 1.5 miles of new shared-use path on the city’s west side.

Mayor Linda Gorton announced the funding Wednesday, Oct. 21. The money comes from the federal Transportation Alternatives Program.

Where the new path goes

The extension will run from the Lexington Fire Training Academy, 1375 Old Frankfort Pike, to Bizzell Drive. The city said it will connect neighborhoods, parks, businesses and other places along the route.

Once it is built, the city said, people will have 22 miles of uninterrupted shared-use paths linking:

  • Town Branch Trail
  • Town Branch Commons downtown
  • the Legacy Trail

The longer goal is to connect Masterson Station, Lexington’s largest residential neighborhood, to downtown. Our walking and biking trails guide lists the existing 1.9-mile section off Long Branch Lane, across from Masterson Station Park.

City map of Town Branch Trail showing existing trail in green from Masterson Station Park and downtown, and the proposed phase 4 and 5 section in orange near Old Frankfort Pike, between Leestown Road and Manchester Street.
The existing trail in green and the proposed phase 4 and 5 section in orange. Map: City of Lexington, from its Oct. 21 announcement.

When work starts

“Construction is planned to begin in the summer,” the city said. It has not given a finish date.

What people said

“Town Branch Trail connects our community, and enhances our quality of life,” Gorton said. “This funding will help us build on our progress, and make it easier for people to enjoy all our community has to offer.”

The extension will be built in the 11th Council District. “My constituents are ecstatic to learn that a piece of the puzzle of this important trail is being put in place to extend its footprint even further,” council member Jennifer Reynolds said. She said some residents rely on trails to get from point A to point B.

Van Meter Pettit, the architect and urban planner who led efforts to design and build the trail, said the plan to link Masterson Station Park with downtown along the Town Branch of Elkhorn Creek is “25 years in the making.” He described the goal as a continuous 8-mile trail.

What it means for you

The city plans to start building in the summer. If you walk, run or bike on the west side, the new section would give you an off-road route between Old Frankfort Pike and Bizzell Drive, tied into the Legacy Trail and downtown.

For other routes and trailhead parking, see our guides to walking and biking trails and parks and trails in Lexington. For buses and bike routes, see getting around Lexington.