Oasis Trail

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Oasis Trail

Project Dates

location CONSTRUCTION START: 2029
location CONSTRUCTION END: 2030

Great Parks, in partnership with the City of Cincinnati, Metro and the Indiana and Ohio Railway Company (IORY), is planning, designing and constructing the Oasis Trail, a new 4.75-mile shared-use trail extending between Downtown Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point and the Lunken Airport area. A transformative link in Greater Cincinnati’s shared-use trail network, the ADA-compliant Oasis Trail will provide a dedicated, safe and paved pathway for bicyclists, walkers, runners and other non-motorized users to enjoy the region’s rich history and outdoor spaces. The trail will replace the northern track of the Oasis Rail Line, which is located between U.S. 50/Columbia Parkway and Riverside Drive.

As part of the 34-mile Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network (CROWN) and an extension of the Ohio River Trail, the Oasis Trail will strengthen connections between eastern Cincinnati neighborhoods, downtown riverfront parks and broader trail systems such as the Little Miami Scenic Trail and the Ohio to Erie Trail. Through thoughtful planning, community engagement and collaboration with local partners, Great Parks is advancing goals for trail connectivity and access while addressing complex infrastructure and design challenges along the corridor.

Tentative Project Timeline

DATE ACTIVITY
Fall 2025-Spring 2026 Conduct field studies
Spring 2026-Fall 2026 Prepare feasibility study & environmental document
Summer 2026 Community engagement
Fall 2026-Fall/Winter 2028 Design development & construction planning
2029-2030 Construction underway
2031 Trail opens
Timeline is an estimate based on the current project status and is subject to change.

Downloads

picture_as_pdf Oasis Trail Fact Sheet (February 2026)
picture_as_pdf Oasis Trail Proposed Alignment Map (February 2026)

Community Engagement

Great Parks and the project team, led by Arcadis US, Inc., are conducting a feasibility study to confirm the trail route and explore access options. As part of this work, public meetings (in-person and virtual) will be held in summer 2026 to gather input on the study’s preliminary recommendations. Meeting dates, times and details will be publicly announced and posted here as they become available.

Contact Us

For additional questions about the project, contact Great Parks.

Frequently Asked Questions

The trail will replace the northern track of the Oasis Rail Line, which is located between U.S. 50/Columbia Parkway and Riverside Drive.

The Oasis Trail will be approximately 4.75 miles long. 

The ADA-compliant trail will be 12 feet wide with six-foot-wide travel lanes in each direction. Space limitations in some areas, such as a road overpass, may require small sections of the trail to be slightly narrower. The trail will be paved with asphalt, and a fence on its south side will separate trail users from the active rail line and its tracks.

As outlined in its 2019 Comprehensive Master Plan, Great Parks has prioritized building more trails. Building the Oasis Trail to connect Downtown Cincinnati with the regional and state shared-use trail network has been a vision shared by Great Parks, the City of Cincinnati and Metro for nearly two decades. As part of the project, Great Parks is designing, engineering and constructing the trail and, once complete, will manage it in coordination with the City.

Users will be able to access the Oasis Trail at Sawyer Point (located along Downtown Cincinnati’s riverfront) and where the Little Miami Scenic Trail currently ends at Carrel Street in Cincinnati’s East End neighborhood (near Lunken Airport). Additional access points are being studied along the route, with two or three locations likely to be added based on factors including: 

  • Ease of access for the public
  • Constructability (considering ease of access to the construction site, nearby property ownership and land use, utility relocation needs, distance between other access points, etc.)
  • Cost
  • Potential impact on the surrounding community

The Cincinnati Riding Or Walking Network (CROWN) is a vision for a 34-mile shared-use trail network that encircles Cincinnati, linking to many local landmarks and neighborhoods. The CROWN also connects with several local shared-use trails, such as the Wasson Way, Murray Path, Mill Creek Greenway Trail, Canal Bikeway, Lunken Airport Trail, Otto Armleder Shared-Use Trail and the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail (LMST). Much of the CROWN is already complete, though some segments, including the Oasis Trail corridor, still need to be constructed before the network vision is fully realized.

The Ohio River Trail is a nearly eight-mile shared-use pathway that travels along Cincinnati’s riverfront.

The scenic Ohio to Erie Trail spans from the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland, primarily on rail trails and canal paths. Designed to support non-motorized travel, it passes through four major cities, numerous quaint towns and miles of pastoral countryside. 

COST & FUNDING

Special Thanks

The current total cost of design and construction is estimated at more than $19 million.

For their support of the project to date, Great Parks extends sincere thanks to:

  • The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) for an $8 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program grant awarded in 2024 for Phase 1 construction, the largest funding award in Great Parks’ history, and an additional $6 million CMAQ grant awarded in December 2025 for Phase 2 construction.
  • Metro for committing $3 million in public funds for railroad easement acquisition.
  • CROWN for committing $2.75 million in private funds.
  • The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for $5 million in grant funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), secured by Great Parks and awarded to the City of Cincinnati to support land acquisition.

Great Parks has committed $1.5 million in public funds for design to date and is actively working to secure an additional $2 million to cover remaining design and construction costs. Great Parks also continues to work with Metro and the City to secure funds necessary for land acquisition.

Project Partners

  • Metro owns the northern track along the Oasis Rail Line. The City of Cincinnati is purchasing it as part of the trail development process and buying out IORY’s remaining lease.
  • Great Parks is managing the design and engineering process in partnership with the City.
  • The City is leading the construction process in partnership with Great Parks.
  • Great Parks is ultimately operating and maintaining the trail through an operating and lease agreement with the City and Metro.