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New shared use path connects commuters to campus, city

New shared use path connects commuters to campus, city

New shared use path connects commuters to campus, city

A new shared use path opened today at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, connecting bicyclists and pedestrians from south Lexington neighborhoods to campus and downtown.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—

Today, UK President Eli Capilouto, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray and others celebrated the opening of a new shared use path at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, connecting bicyclists and pedestrians from south Lexington neighborhoods to campus and downtown.

Located on the western edge of The Arboretum Woods, the path links Shady Lane to University Court, providing a safe and efficient connection for dozens of commuters cycling and walking along this corridor daily. 

“UK is undergoing a dramatic physical transformation, including the redevelopment and improvement of our parking and transportation infrastructure. We’re taking a holistic approach to provide a diverse range of safe options for our campus and surrounding community,” said President Capilouto. “The new shared-use path through The Arboretum connects us to surrounding neighborhoods and provides a safer, more convenient access point for bikers commuting to campus."

The design of the new facility carefully considered the ecological significance of the woodland remnant it crosses and was constructed to remove as little vegetation as possible and to protect the root systems of the trees adjacent to the path.

“A shared use path that traverses The Arboretum has been in discussion since at least 2001. With The Arboretum Advisory Board’s approval, in 2013, plans to develop a path through the woods commenced," said Molly Davis, director of The Arboretum. "One of the board’s concerns was that the path’s ultimate location should cause the least possible damage to the existing trees in this 16-acre remnant of Inner Bluegrass Upland Forest. While construction projects always have impacts to the existing environment, we hope that this project will improve the bicycle and pedestrian environment for UK and the wider community, and provide a needed connection from neighborhoods through UK’s campus and beyond, while causing the least damage to our treasured Arboretum.”

Read more on UKNow: http://uknow.uky.edu/content/new-shared-use-path-connects-commuters-camp...


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