The Strand completed at Parklands

A two-mile stretch of The Strand has been completed at The Parklands of Floyds Fork, a section that connects Beckley Creek, Pope Lick, Turkey Run, and Broad Run parks via the Louisville Loop Trail and Floyds Fork.

The non-profit 21st Century Parks that oversees the 4,000-acre recreational corridor along the creek in far eastern Jefferson County said the four individual parks within The Parklands now offer visitors "19 miles of continuous, multi-recreational trail for walking, running, biking and exploring."

“The Strand and its three leaping bridges offer visitors beautiful scenery winding along Floyds Fork,” said Scott Martin, director of 21st Century Parks.  “Guests interested in a longer journey will be able to hop on the Loop at Shelbyville Road in the north and ride all the way down to Bardstown Road in the south. That’s a 38-mile roundtrip entirely within one park system on a paved pathway dedicated to nonmotorized use.”

The Strand is accessible from Pope Lick Park in the north and Turkey Run Park in the south. To promote the completion of the project, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday morning near John Floyd Fields in Pope Lick Park.

The Parklands opened its first area in 2011 and is on track to welcome 2 million visitors in 2016.

The Parklands is a donor-supported public park system. It is a $125 million project funded through more than $70 million in private donations, combined with almost $50 million from federal, state and local government sources. Ongoing operations and maintenance are funded solely through private donations and an endowment fund. Fund-raising has been led by Humana co-founder David Jones Sr.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at 502-582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.