Multi-Use Trail Proposed Around CVG

By Feoshia Henderson

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport could offer a more down-to-earth pursuit if some Northern Kentucky residents get their way.

Two Boone County residents, representing a group calling itself Friends of the Airport Trail, have asked a Kenton County Airport Board committee to consider a 22-mile multi-use trail that would circle the airport.

Residents Steve Wilmhoff and Dave Zimmer presented the plan at an Aug. 15 meeting. As proposed, the trail would carry walkers, joggers, cyclists and others. It also could contain a horse riding area. Boone County Parks and Recreation would maintain it. The pair, both cyclists, have worked on the plan for about two years, Wilmhoff said.

“There are federally mandated (U.S) Department of Transportation funds that have already been appropriated for these type of projects,” Wilmhoff said. “We are going to try to bring those funds to Northern Kentucky.”

Boone County, with a population of 110,080, is Kentucky’s fastest- growing county. Much of the continued growth has been attributed to the airport in Hebron.

Wilmhoff said the trail would be a way to foster a sense of community and be an attractive, low-cost amenity in Boone County. “A multi-use trail at CVG would create a convenient, healthy, fun, and safe transportation option to connect Florence, Erlanger, Hebron, Burlington and Oakbrook to each other and to the outlying areas beyond,” the plan reads.

The specifics of the trail’s location and cost aren’t yet known. Plans call for a mix of federal, state and private funding to pave and maintain it.

If the idea becomes a reality, the trail would more than double Boone County’s paved trails, said Boone County Parks Director David Whitehouse. There are about 13 total miles of paved trails in the county, he said. “This would be a great opportunity for the community,” Whitehouse said. “People are always looking for places to hike and bike and walk. There aren’t really any big places to do that here.”

Before making a decision, the airport board is studying the issue to assure the trail won’t compromise security, airport spokesman Ted Bushelman said.

“We’re talking to those agencies that would be involved, like the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Safety Administration,” Bushelman said.

Several airports already have trails, including the 12.5-mile Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport Trail.

Closer to home is Cincinnati’s 5-mile Lunken Airport Trail.

Originally published by Post contributor.

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