"It kind of sucks now that it's getting nice out." That was regular trail runner Jack Buckley's reaction back in late March, days before Lexington crews closed a chunk of the Legacy Trail for construction. He's not wrong about the timing. But the mile and a half that's out of commission right now happens to be the exact stretch that's been quietly annoying trail regulars for years, and once it reopens, that annoyance is gone for good.
If you walk, run, or bike the Legacy Trail with any regularity, you already know the broad strokes. Crews started work on Monday, March 30, and the closure is expected to run about 18 months, putting the reopening somewhere in 2027. What you may not have pieced together is what the construction is actually building, why it targets this particular stretch, and which parts of your usual route are completely unaffected. That's worth sorting out before you spend another six months guessing at detour signs.
What's Actually Closed (And What Isn't)
The closed section runs between Newtown Springs Drive and Citation Boulevard, a stretch reported at roughly a mile and a half. The trail overall runs about 12 miles from the North Lexington YMCA to the Kentucky Horse Park, which means something like ten miles remain fully walkable and rideable right now. The catch is that those ten miles are split into two separate pieces you can't currently connect by trail alone.
| Section | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Horse Park south toward the closure zone | Open | Full horse-country stretch, unaffected |
| Newtown Springs Drive to Citation Boulevard | Closed through construction | Detour via Citation Boulevard |
| YMCA and downtown connector north toward the closure zone | Open | Includes the newer 5th Street link |
Officials have said the work includes realigning the trail, building a new pedestrian underpass south of Citation Boulevard, and adding about 1,200 feet of new trail connecting to Newtown Court. The official detour, per the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, routes pedestrians and cyclists around the closure using Citation Boulevard itself.
The Stoplight Everyone Already Knew About
Here's the part that doesn't show up in most of the closure coverage. This stretch of trail has always required crossing Newtown Pike at street level, and if you've ridden it more than once, you've probably stood at that intersection waiting for a walk signal with your bike between your legs. One rider who used the current detour this spring described exactly that experience, having to walk a bike past the construction on Newtown Pike and then wait at the light where Newtown Pike meets Citation, both on the way out and the way back.
That's the friction the new construction is designed to remove permanently. City leaders have said that once the project wraps, expected sometime in 2027, the trail will run under Newtown Pike instead of across it, which means no more waiting for traffic to clear and no more judgment calls about whether a driver actually sees you. The 18 months of inconvenience is buying a permanent fix to the one intersection on the whole route that required you to stop, look both ways, and hope.
The Two Ends Nobody's Talking About Losing
Because the closure sits in the middle of the trail, both ends are running business as usual, and each one anchors a different kind of outing.
- North end at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the stretch most people picture when they think of the Legacy Trail: white plank fences, open pasture, and the Horse Park itself as a turnaround point with restrooms and parking.
- South end near the YMCA and downtown. This section connects to the newer link into downtown via 5th Street, putting you within reach of West Sixth Brewing for a post-ride pint, Magic Beans Coffee Roasters for something warmer, and Big Blue Pedaler if your bike needs a tune-up before you head back out.
Neither of these requires touching the construction zone at all. If your usual loop happened to run straight through the middle, you'll need to pick one end or the other for the next several months, but you're not losing the trail entirely.
Where Lexington's Already Rerouting
Buckley's instinct to head to Shillito Park when the trail isn't an option is a good one, and he's not the only one adjusting. A few other spots worth knowing if you want to keep your mileage up while the middle section is closed:
- Shillito Park for an easy loop that doesn't involve any construction detours
- McConnell Springs Park, home to McConnell Springs Trail, a short and easy option if you're looking for a quick walk rather than a full workout
- Hisle Farm Park, where the Hisle Park Trail runs a bit over three miles with easy terrain
- Cardinal Run Park South and Beaumont Preserve, which offer the Beaumont Walking Trail and Beaumont Preserve Loop as two more easy, similarly rated alternatives
None of these replace the specific horse-country views the Legacy Trail is known for, but they'll keep your routine intact without funneling you through an active work zone.
The Trail Is Also Growing, Just Not Here
Worth knowing for context: this isn't the only Legacy Trail project on the books. At the opposite end, near the Kentucky Horse Park, there's a separate plan to extend the trail about a mile and a half further north into Scott County, ending at the Lisle Road Soccer Complex. That project has been estimated at roughly $5.7 million, with a Transportation Alternative Program grant and local match covering about $4.4 million and an additional $750,000 in state Highway Safety Improvement funding under discussion. It's a different project, a different end of the trail, and on a different timeline than the closure you're navigating today, but it's a sign the trail keeps expanding even while one piece of it is temporarily out of service.
A Simple Plan For The Next Year And A Half
If the Legacy Trail is part of your weekly rhythm, here's the practical version of everything above:
- Pick your end. If you're closer to the Horse Park, stay north. If you're closer to downtown or the YMCA, stay south. Both give you full mileage without the detour.
- Use Citation Boulevard if you need to get from one open section to the other during construction, since that's the officially marked route around the closure.
- Rotate in Shillito Park, McConnell Springs, or the Beaumont trails on days when you want variety or when construction noise makes the detour less appealing.
- Expect the underpass, not just an open trail, when this wraps in 2027. The wait at Newtown Pike and Citation that you've navigated for years is going away permanently, not just detouring around a construction fence.
Fall in Lexington tends to be the best stretch of the year for logging trail miles, cooler mornings, good light, and horses out in the pastures along the northern section. The middle of the Legacy Trail will still be a construction zone for most of that window, but the two ends that make the trail worth riding in the first place aren't going anywhere.
If you're the kind of person who plans a neighborhood around the ability to walk out the door and onto a trail like this one, that's exactly the sort of daily-life detail worth talking through with someone who knows the area well. Bluegrass Luxe Homes works across Lexington and the surrounding communities, and a conversation about what a specific street or subdivision actually puts you close to, trails included, is one phone call away.
