Southside Trail Approved

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This has been several years in the making, as the City has worked with property owners who had built upon the City's right of way along the old tracks, but this adds one more piece to the quality of life for the metro and provides one more piece to a much needed connection to the Wabash Trace.

Council OKs Southside Trail construction

It would start northwest of the intersection of 23rd Avenue and the South Expressway and run diagonally to 16th Avenue, then north to 14th Avenue along Indian Creek, then east to Eighth Street.

The trail will cost more than originally planned because the city tried to accommodate nearby residents who had built fences, garages and parking lots on city-owned property, said Parks Director Ronald Hopp.

Added expenses will include planting additional trees and modification of the trail's design in some cases, including the preservation of a large willow tree that had been in the original trail's path.

"The extra cost to accommodate the neighbors is worth it in the long run," Hopp said at the council's afternoon study session.