Ohio River Greenway

News

Ohio River Greenway to Host Humana Kentucky Derby Festival

Mini-Marathon and Marathon Road Races

March 16, 2021 – Due to the safety precautions required by the COVID-19 response, this long-standing tradition of the Kentucky Derby Festival will proceed with a modified format, and for the first time will be routed along the Indiana shore using the Ohio River Greenway !  Details on the race including registration and the course map can be found at:  https://derbyfestivalmarathon.com/.

Mini-Marathon – Thursday April 22 through Sunday April 25, 2021

The Mini-Marathon (13.1 miles) will originate at the Lynn Family Stadium (soccer stadium) in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville. Runners will cross the Ohio River using the Big Four Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge, then proceed down-river on Riverside Drive in Jeffersonville and through Clarksville using the paved Ohio River Greenway multi-use trail. The route continues into New Albany via the pedestrian/bicycle bridge over Silver Creek. The turnaround point will be at the Greenway’s 18th Street Trailhead in New Albany.  This route offers spectacular views of the River and the Louisville skyline, and passes through the Falls of the Ohio State Park and the historic original site of Clarksville, where the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition began. The Mini-Marathon will take place over 4 days between 6:30 am and 2:30 pm EDT, to facilitate social distancing.

Marathon – Saturday April 24, 2021 (Note: Registration by Waiting List Only)

The Marathon (26.2 miles) will also originate at the Lynn Family Stadium and proceed through Indiana using the same route as the Mini-Marathon. The turnaround point in New Albany, however, will be further west (down-river) at Water Street and West 10th Street. Runners will see the entirety of New Albany’s riverfront. The Marathon will also utilize several miles of the Louisville Loop and Louisville’s Waterfront Park.

“Flow Park” Opens in New Albany

December 19, 2019 – The City of New Albany, in partnership with the Carnegie Center for Art and History, announced the completion of the New Albany Flow Park, a one-of-a-kind skate-able work of art on the city’s waterfront, enhancing the Ohio River Greenway. The park is located along the Greenway’s vehicular route in New Albany (Water Street), between the New Albany Amphitheatre and the Sherman Minton Bridge. It replaces an outdated skatepark which stood at this site. The full press release for the opening is at the link- https://newalbanycityhall.com/home/2019/12/19/new-albany-flow-park-now-open

Children’s Music Garden Opens at Falls of the Ohio State Park

November 13, 2019 – The Falls of the Ohio State Park, in partnership with the PNC Foundation, opened a children’s music garden along the Greenway multi-use path near the Falls of the Ohio Trailhead and outer parking area. The garden is nestled in a shady grove of trees, and features colorful interactive musical instruments arranged in a circle. The garden provides a great rest-stop and fun diversion for kids and parents bicycling or driving through the Greenway corridor.

Phase 2 Wayfinding Signage Project Completed

September 2019 – The second phase of installation was completed for the Wayfinding Signage Project along the Greenway, focused largely on the most recently completed segments in Clarksville and New Albany. In total, 97 signs were either created or updated for installation in this phase of work, which was a follow-up to Phase 1 completed in 2016. Mile markers are now installed every ¼ mile along the Greenway trail, and new signs directing bicyclists/pedestrians, and cars to destinations along the Greenway have been installed. The updated trail map along with rules and emergency contact information is now displayed on 7-ft. tall kiosks at 9 trailheads along the route.

The Wayfinding Signage Project has been funded through grass-roots efforts over many years. In addition to direct funding by the 3 communities, other funders have included The Fat Boy Bikers (proceeds from 10 years of Le Tour de Pork events), the Horseshoe Foundation, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, the TEGNA Foundation, Indiana Greenways Foundation, and Friends of the Ohio River Greenway.

Closing of Roadway at Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Park

August 15, 2019 – After a riverbank slide occurred near the end of Harrison Avenue, the Town of Clarksville elected to close the roadway to traffic due to safety concerns. The Greenway multi-use path, the George Rogers Clark Home Site and Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Park are unaffected. The roadway along the river has been closed to vehicular traffic from the Park to the intersection of Croghan Street and Emery Crossing (where the old trolley car sits). There are no current plans to reopen the roadway. Motorists traveling down-river to access Emery Crossing will need to utilize Randolph Avenue and Brown Station Way. Motorists traveling up-river to access the Clark Home Site and Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Park will need to utilize Brown Station Way, Randolph Avenue, and Harrison Avenue.

First Annual Le Tour de Greenway

May 11, 2019 – To celebrate the connection of the Greenway, the parks departments of New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville collaborated on this family-friendly bike ride that stretched through all 3 communities. The event included kid activities at each of 3 registration sites, along with live music, a camp fire, historic re-enactors, and other surprises along the way. Participants were issued a “passport” with pages to be stamped at 10 stops along the 6-mile course. One stamp in each community earned a free t-shirt; all 10 stamps also earned a raffle ticket for a free family pool membership. The Southern Indiana Wheelmen provided free helmets to kids who needed them, and also served as ride ambassadors. The police departments from all 3 communities were out greeting the riders with their bicycles and 4-wheelers that are used to patrol the Greenway. Planning and sponsorship support was also provided by Friends of the Ohio River Greenway, the Southern Indiana Tourism Bureau, and the Greenway Commission.

Silver Creek Bridge and New Trail Segment in Clarksville is Open !!

November 2018 – The long-awaited bicycle/pedestrian bridge across Silver Creek is open for use !  A new 1.2 mile segment multi-use path was also completed, starting near the George Rogers Clark Home Site and extending to the new bridge.  With this new connection between Clarksville and New Albany now complete, there are 6.6 miles of continuous multi-use path beginning at Ashland Park in Clarksville and ending at the Sherman Minton Bridge in New Albany.