Trail Construction updates

The Town Branch Commons (TBC) trail construction includes dedicated bike and pedestrian paths along Newtown Pike, Vine St, and Midland Ave. Construction began on the Newtown Pike section in March 2020 and is now complete connecting users from Main Street to the Legacy Trail. Work started on Vine St. at Broadway in July 2020. Work near the Lexington Center started in October 2020. Work on Vine St. near Limestone started mid-December 2020 and will continue east toward Midland Ave. Work on Midland Ave. started late March 2021 starting near Third St. and will progress toward Main St. Downtown travelers should be prepared for various lane closures along the trail’s route to accommodate construction. We do not expect the complete closure of Newtown Pike, Vine St. or Midland Ave. during construction.

Town Branch Commons Construction Activity Per Work Zone:

Zone 7:  Newtown Pike from Main St. to Fourth St.

Construction is complete on this zone and the trail is open to the public.

Zone 4: Vine St. at Lexington Center from Tucker St. to Broadway

Construction continues and lane closures may occur to accommodate work to construct the trail. Work will continue in this zone through spring 2022.

• Work continues on the Lexington Center side of the street, and the contractor is working in coordination with the Lexington Center’s contractor to ensure both projects progress simultaneously.
• A significant portion of the bike and pedestrian paths have been poured, and work has been conducted to install utilities, drainage systems and preparation for urban rain gardens, signature pavers, and iconic stone walls.
• Work underway near Triangle Park is complete – this effort enhanced drainage, relocated the turn lane from Main to Vine Street, provides space for a new traffic signal which will be operable soon to provide a safe crossing for bikers and pedestrians crossing from the Lexington Center to The Square.
• Archaeology monitoring and additional exploratory work were conducted during the demo phase. Numerous artifacts were found dating back to the early settlement of Lexington.
• Repaving in this section will occur in late July 2021.
• Plantings are anticipated this fall. Work will be completed on this section in spring 2022.

Zone 3: Vine St. from Broadway to Upper St.

• The sidewalk throughout this section has been reopened to pedestrian traffic.
• Initial installation of the karst embankment and karst streambed is completed – this will be visible within the urban rain gardens and bioswales where the designs aim to reflect the rural landscape in the heart of downtown while treating stormwater runoff.
• Repaving in this section will occur in late July 2021.
• Preparations are underway in anticipation of plantings to occur this fall.
• Work will be completed on this section in spring 2022.

Zone 2: Vine St. from Limestone to Quality St.

Construction has started. Temporary lane closures may occur to accommodate work to construct the trail. Work will continue in this zone through 2022.

• Hernando Alley and Ayers Alley are no longer accessible from Vine St as the trail has been installed in its place.
• Bike and pedestrian trails are constructed, karst stone features installed in the urban rain gardens, and signature walls and benches are in place.
• Street and trail lighting is in place and will be operable later this summer. Two new traffic signals are in place to accommodate safe pedestrian crossings and to accommodate bus traffic leaving the transit center. These signals will be operable later this year.
• Repaving in this section will occur in late July 2021.
• Preparations are underway in anticipation of plantings to occur this fall.
• Expect traffic slowdowns in this area. Work will not close Limestone or Water Street.

Zone 1: Vine St. from Quality St. to Main St. and Midland Ave. from Main St. to Third St.

Construction has started on Midland Ave. Work will progress from Third Street toward Main St. along Midland Ave. Work will impact the west side of Midland Avenue between Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden and Thoroughbred park. 

• Work is underway to install underground infrastructure and the trail.
• Traffic Impacts: temporary lane closures will occur daily to accommodate work to construct the trail. One lane inbound and two lanes outbound will be in place at all times. Left turns onto Midland Ave. from Winchester Road are reduced to one left turn lane
• Lewis Street intersection Midland Ave. will remain closed through July 2021 for street realignment and construction of the trail.
• Other cross streets may temporarily close during construction, but coordination with adjacent businesses will occur in advance
• Demolition has occurred between Third and Short streets and will continue toward Main. 
• Following the 4th of July, holiday work will begin within the Short Street and Midland Ave. intersection. We do not anticipate a full closure of the intersection except under special circumstances; however, the intersection will be temporarily reconfigured to accommodate construction activity. The contractors will close half of the intersection at a time leaving an inbound and outbound lane open. Once work has reached a safe level of completion they will reopen the first half and close the second half to conduct work. In the end, the intersection will realign Short St to Midland and install a new traffic signal, making it safer for all users.  
• Work will be ongoing in this zone through fall 2022.

Adjacent work on-going in the area:

Columbia Gas will continue their work impacting Third Street, between Midland Ave. and Nelson Ave. and Midland Avenue. Work is anticipated through July 9. As you know, traffic has been impacted down to Shropshire and detours have been implemented since early June. The contractors were given an extension (approximately two additional weeks) to complete their work. Columbia Gas contractors expect to be finished by July 9. Their hours of work remain the same, 6 p.m. to 3 p.m. (21 hours per day).

Kentucky Utilities will be working along Third Street starting July 12 to upgrade utility service to residents and nearby businesses. No detours are needed but KU will have flaggers present to direct traffic around the work zones as needed.

**Various levels of construction will be underway along Vine Street and Midland Avenue through the end of 2022.

The Town Branch Trail through the Distillery District includes a dedicated path for bikers and pedestrians. Work will occur on Old Frankfort Pike, Manchester St. and Forbes Road starting in 2020. Once completed, this path through the Distillery District will connect to Downtown and the Legacy Trail. Visit the Town Branch Trail homepage to learn more about this trail.

Town Branch Trail construction activity:

The construction of the Town Branch Trail-Distillery District has officially started. This section of trail is from Forbes Road at Manchester St. along Manchester to its intersection with Oliver Lewis Way. It includes the additional turn lanes at Manchester and Forbes. The contractor is ATS Construction and they have crews on-site working to construct the trail.

• Work continued on the trail in Zone 6 along Manchester St. between the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing and Oliver Lewis Way.
• Curb/gutter and drainage improvements were finalized, the trail was built, and the roadway was resurfaced.
• After final striping and signs are installed, the trail in this area will be complete and open to the public for use.
• Work between Forbes Rd. and the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing has been delayed due to Columbia Gas and AT&T utility relocations. Those relocations should be completed over the winter, allowing construction to resume when the weather allows in 2021.

The Legacy Trail Phase Three connects previously completed phases of the trail to the East End. This phase of the trail includes on-road and off-road dedicated paths for bikers and pedestrians. Trail construction was recently completed and is now open to the public.  These dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks will connect our rural landscape to downtown Lexington creating a 12-mile trail from the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden to the Kentucky Horse Park. It will also provide access to the Town Branch Commons and Town Branch Trail and the growing county-wide trails system. Visit the Legacy Trail homepage to learn more about this trail.

LFUCG hosted a ribbon-cutting for the Legacy Trail on October 8, 2020.

See more about the event by visiting LFUCG's news page.