Jeffersontown Bluegrass Parkway Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail

The City of Jeffersontown selected GRW to provide design, bidding, construction administration and resident project representation services for an eight- to 10-foot-wide, 3.5-mile-long paved bicycle and pedestrian path split into two phases for construction. The first phase of the trail is adjacent to Bluegrass Parkway from Hurstbourne Parkway to Watterson Trial. The second phase continues along Bluegrass Parkway from Watterson Trail to Tucker Station Road, then turns along Tucker Station Road adjacent to Papa John’s Headquarters and terminates at Plantside Drive in Jeffersontown, KY. The multi-use path is part of the larger Jeffersontown Gaslight Recreational and Workplace Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail, and is intended to enhance the quality of life in the City by providing alternate means to the automobile. The path encourages physical fitness, family exercise, and creates a link between where people live and work.

The trail design utilizes concrete pavement, including the design of horizontal and vertical alignment, drainage features, typical sections, profiling, and easement preparation. Massive coordination efforts with various utility companies, whose infrastructure was located within the trail’s alignment, was an integral part of the project. Preliminary conversations verified that the underground utilities minimum depths would not be affected by excavation for the trail, and at-grade utilities were either moved away from the path or raised to match the trail’s elevation and slope. This project was funded through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program, which required coordination and approval of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 5 (KYTC D5) and the Office of Local Programs (OLP).