Soon bicyclists and pedestrians will be able to safely walk and pedal from the edge of Ozark near Olde World Estates and Tracker Marine, all the way downtown to the Finley River.
Ozark Public Works Director Jeremy Parsons told KSMU the final phases of the Chadwick Flyer trail are well on their way to completion. He said the city expects to hold a grand opening this Spring. That’s sooner than Parsons had anticipated. He said they’re currently finishing three phases of the trail at once thanks to several grants with generous funding matches.
“Had it not been for these funding opportunities and the 80 over 20 match," Parsons explained “we would not even be close to where we currently stand.”
And their progress Parsons's adds, is also thanks to strong partnerships, including the Ozarks Transportation Organization and Ozark Greenways.
“We're all in this together,” Parsons said, adding “we've made so many more partners along the way, from the school to Finley Farms to Tractor Marine to different neighborhoods. I mean, we've seen kind of just this groundswell, if you will, of passion for trails and support for trails.”
In November, an eye-catching piece of the Chadwick Flyer, a new multi-modal trail bridge was put in place over Highway 65. Parsons said they hope the bridge will become an iconic landmark for the city. It also serves the major role of connecting old Ozark with its developing northern communities and takes the city one step closer to establishing a network of connected trails that Parsons and the city see as meant for more than simple recreation. “We want people to jump on their bike or take a walk and go to the OC and go to work,” Parsons explained, saying the trails are about quality of life, but are also “another form of transportation.” That purpose is key to much of the grants that have funded the work, and to the greater vision of an interconnected regional trail system.
The city won’t be done with trails when the Chadwick Flyer wraps up. Parsons said they recently were approved for trails that will ultimately connect the Chadwick with the high school and Finley Farms. They also plan to build a trail that will take people to Garrison Springs. In the future, as the city develops around the current trail network, the city will ask developers to build trails connecting those new developments, increasing connectivity as the city grows.
“We were always worried,” he explained, “you know, you don't want developers to think that we're making this undevelopable. But what we've seen is their attitude completely change, in that now they're marketing this trail system as a neighborhood amenity.”
Learn more about the project from the City of Ozark and follow this link to a map of the project.