The Oasis Trail, a long-envisioned path linking downtown Cincinnati to Lunken Airport, is moving forward after new federal funding and the city’s acquisition of the rail corridor needed to complete the route.
Great Parks, the City of Cincinnati and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates Metro, have secured additional grants and finalized a property transfer for the 4.75-mile shared-use trail stretching from Sawyer Point to the riverfront commuter airport in eastern Cincinnati.
Great Parks – the park district that serves Hamilton County and a leading builder of regional trails – will receive $6 million through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, administered locally by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. The funding will support phase two construction between Collins Avenue and Carrel Street.
That award builds on an $8 million CMAQ grant announced in 2024 for the project’s initial phase, spanning Friendship Park to Collins Avenue, between LeBlond Recreation Center and William Howard Taft Road.
Together, the grants total for federal commitments of more than $14 million.
The total cost for design and construction is around $19 million. CROWN donors and Great Parks’ capital funds will help cover the expense.
Separately, the city received $5 million spread across two grants from the Ohio Department of Transportation through the Transportation Alternatives Program and Highway Safety Improvement Program to acquire the rail property needed for the trail. Great Parks applied for the funding in partnership with the city.
Metro, which owns the corridor, has closed with the Indiana and Ohio Railway on interests in the northern track easements, according to a release from Great Parks. The intent, according to a Great Parks spokesperson, is for Metro to sell the property to the city, clearing the way for trail development.
“These are important foundational steps as we progress toward bringing the vision for the Oasis Trail to reality,” said Todd Palmeter, Great Parks CEO.
A missing link
The Oasis Trail would convert the northern track of the Oasis Rail Line – between Columbia Parkway/U.S. Route 50 and Riverside Drive – into a fully separated path for bicyclists, runners and other non-motorized users.
For years, advocates have described the corridor as a critical gap in the region’s trail network.
Once complete, the trail would close a break in the Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network, or CROWN, and connect downtown riverfront paths to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. It would also extend the Ohio River Trail and complete the final local segment of the Ohio to Erie Trail, the 326-mile route linking Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Transit officials have said the project could expand transportation options by creating a safer, off-street route between downtown and the eastern part of Hamilton County.
Wade Johnston, executive director of nonprofit Tri-State Trails, said he believes the project offers an opportunity to connect communities along the corridor and beyond.
“It has the potential to capture all that same energy we currently see along the Little Miami Scenic Trail that runs through Loveland and bring it to downtown,” he told Movers & Makers in May 2024, shortly after the initial stage of the project was announced.
Delayed but not forgotten
Great Parks is moving forward on the Oasis Trail, but trail users will have to wait: construction won’t start for nearly two more years.
Project partners had aimed to start construction by 2027, but now they don’t expect to break ground until 2029. There’s still no word on when the trail will open.
“The Oasis Trail is a highly complex and unique project because we are building it through a fully developed urban area within a railroad corridor, working with multiple partners and arranging funding from multiple sources, all of which has taken more time than originally estimated,” Palmeter explained.
Inflation, he said, has also had a significant impact on the cost of the project. In May 2024, officials projected construction at $13 million. By October, project costs had jumped to more than $16 million. Great Parks now puts total design and construction costs in excess $19 million.
While specific project timelines aren’t yet available, one thing that remains clear: Great Parks and its partners remain committed to making the project happen.
Great Parks and its partners remain “fully committed to seeing this project through” despite all the challengers, Palmeter said, “because of the long-lasting impact the trail will have on recreation, transportation and tourism for our entire region for years to come.”
The Oasis Trail anchors a broader strategy in Great Parks’ master plan, shaped by feedback from Hamilton County residents, businesses and community organizations. In recent years, trail expansion and connectivity have consistently ranked among the public’s top priorities, Palmeter said.
Today, Great Parks manages more than 84 miles of trails across the county, from nature paths to regional shared-use corridors. Projects such as the Winton Woods to Glenwood Gardens Trail, the West Region Blueway & Trail System and the Beachmont Bridge Connector reflect Great Parks’ stated goal to “knit together parks, neighborhoods and job centers.”
Great Parks said it will share updates on the Oasis Trail throughout the development process, including at a not-yet-noticed public meeting later this year.
“Trail expansion and connections are the top priority the public established for Great Parks, and the Oasis Trail will be the highest profile trail addition in this region’s history,” Palmeter said.
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