Great Parks of Hamilton County is pushing ahead with the Oasis Trail, a nearly 4.75‑mile paved multi‑use path that would run from Sawyer Point in downtown Cincinnati out to the Lunken Airport area. The project would replace the northern track of the Oasis rail line and create a fully separated, ADA‑compliant corridor for cyclists, runners and walkers. Officials say the route is meant to stitch downtown into the region’s bigger trail web, giving people a safer off‑road option instead of long stretches along Riverside Drive. Planners expect several years of studies, design work and permitting before any heavy construction starts.
Where the trail will run
The Oasis Trail is slated to follow the northern track of the Oasis Rail Line for roughly 4.75 miles, linking Sawyer Point on the riverfront to the Carrel Street/Lunken area and running between U.S. 50/Columbia Parkway and Riverside Drive. According to Great Parks, the ADA‑compliant route will generally be 12 feet wide with two travel lanes. It will be separated from nearby roads wherever possible, with fencing where the active rail line remains to keep trail users and trains clearly apart.
Funding, timeline and project team
“The current total cost of design and construction is estimated at more than $19 million,” according to Great Parks, which lists a mix of federal, state, local and private awards feeding the budget. The project page credits an $8 million OKI CMAQ award for Phase 1 (2024) and an additional $6 million CMAQ grant awarded in December 2025, plus a $5 million ODOT pedestrian and bicycle grant, a $3 million Metro commitment for land acquisition and $2.75 million from the Cincinnati Riding and Walking Network. Great Parks says it has already invested about $1.5 million in design and is seeking roughly $2 million more. The feasibility study is being led by Arcadis US, with field work and community engagement planned for 2026 and design and permitting stretching into 2028 ahead of a 2029–2030 construction window.
Earlier estimates and shifting timelines
Early buzz in 2024 told a cheaper, faster story: local reporting at the time put the project near $13 million and quoted Great Parks CEO Todd Palmeter saying “we wouldn’t begin our construction until we received that funding in 2027.” As WLWT noted, that earlier outlook reflected uncertainty around grant cycles and the need to sequence land acquisition, engineering work and grant awards in the right order.
Where it plugs into the regional network
The Oasis Trail is designed to close a long‑running gap in the Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network (CROWN) and to give downtown riders a continuous off‑road connection toward the 78‑mile Little Miami Scenic Trail and the Ohio‑to‑Erie corridor. Advocates and regional partners say the layered grants and easement work are a big step toward a more complete riverfront‑to‑suburb trail system. Tri‑State Trails describes the corridor as a crucial link in broader regional plans.
Public meetings and next steps
Great Parks and its partners plan public outreach in summer 2026 to gather input on the feasibility study and preliminary alignment options before moving into design and environmental review. As reported by CityBeat, officials expect design development and permitting to occupy 2026–2028, with construction starting if funding and approvals line up with the projected 2029 timeline.
If that schedule holds, construction would begin in 2029, with the trail opening after work is complete and giving downtown commuters and recreational riders a long‑sought, fully separated route into and out of the city. Great Parks says it will share project updates as studies and design work move forward.
