By Spencer de Tenley, Managing Editor

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, President Colleen Hanycz and local community leaders broke ground on Phase 6B of the Wasson Way trail expansion. The groundbreaking ceremony drew dozens of students, local residents and government officials to Xavier’s campus.  

The 6B expansion will continue from the trail’s current ending on Montgomery Road just across from Xavier’s campus and expand through campus westward towards Station Way. This Xavier-focused extension will connect the previous 3.5 mile stretch east of campus to the 0.8 mile section west of campus. Phase 6B will connect these segments together, ultimately connecting Evanston and Avondale. This will also be the first time Wasson Way will traverse private property.

“The Wasson Way project is proving to be both a community builder and, as my students tell me on a regular basis, a community connector,” Hanycz said during the event. “It could not have happened at a more exciting time in Xavier’s history than at this moment.”

Construction on the trail has already begun. The Way’s path will be built around the lot of the future Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) which is set to begin construction later this year. 

Wasson Way President Sean McGrory further emphasized the health benefits of Wasson Way and its conjunction with the COM. 

“Wasson Way offers exercise and some wonderful service opportunities. It’s really part of the ethos of Xavier,” McGrory said. “Their students have already been caring for the trail with plantings and so forth across the trail. This (phase) just extends that even further.”

Wasson Way has aimed to create a cohesive trail system throughout Cincinnati. This expansion through Xavier will continue to improve access for local residents to shopping, nature and recreation.

 “You shouldn’t need a car to explore your community, take your kids outdoors, to get some recreation areas. I’m beyond proud that public and private partners are brought in on bringing this connectedness and vibrancy to life,” Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said.

The physical trail going through campus will also be accompanied by an additional crosswalk and pedestrian traffic light to facilitate safe and controlled road crossings over the busy Montgomery Road.

 “You’re going to see great things happening on Montgomery Road. We’ve already worked with Cincinnati on the bus locations and are really embracing that everybody doesn’t have to have a car,” Norwood Mayor Victor Schneider said.

Wasson Way is a crucial segment of the Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network (CROWN) in creating a 34-mile loop connecting the path to a variety of other trails such as the Little Miami Scenic Trail, Canal Bikeway and the Ohio River Trail. Once complete, CROWN aims to connect almost 400,000 people to a variety of walkable destinations such as parks, retail locations and entertainment spaces. 

“This Wasson Way expansion I find to be exciting for students. Myself and many others use it frequently, whether that be for a way to destress and connect with nature or just to yap with friends,” senior marketing major Lizzy Schuler said. “I’m not only eager to see how connected Cincinnati will be in the future, but also how this pedestrian expansion will benefit Xavier students.”