Imagine walking or bicycling along an abandoned rail line with a clear view of the Downtown skyline. That's what's being planned for Franklinton: a mini-version of Manhattan's wildly popular High Line trail.

The one in Franklinton would be 1,000 feet long, between the intersection of Lucas and Chapel streets and the Scioto River, and would run along an abandoned railroad viaduct and on bridges over West Town and West Rich streets near the 400 West Rich artist colony.

"It's just a really cool view of Downtown," said Brian Hoyt, a spokesman for Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.

The elevated Columbus trail would be part of the Franklinton Loop Trail, a series of on-street and dedicated trails linking areas of Franklinton with the Scioto Trail along the Scioto River.

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Meanwhile, the city of Dayton is working to convert an abandoned rail line in the center of the city into a "Flight Line" trail inspired by the High Line trail and The 606, a similar park-like trail in Chicago that reuses an abandoned elevated railway.

In Dayton, the Flight Line would run along 6 miles of abandoned Norfolk Southern right of way, which runs east and south of that city's downtown and connects with the suburb of Kettering and the region's 300 miles of trails; the Dayton region has the largest collection of off-road paved trails in the country.

"It's a very unique opportunity," Dayton City Planner Jon White said. Not only would it be a recreational amenity, it also would remove blight and help thwart dumping, he added.

Dayton is still in the preliminary stages, searching for funding and waiting for the federal government to approve the line's abandonment. The city is looking into state grants, among other funding sources, including the Clean Ohio Fund, plus local and federal money and private fundraising.

The estimated cost of acquiring the right of way is $2 million to $3 million, and White said the trail construction would cost $5 million. The city of Dayton plans to partner with Kettering and Five Rivers MetroParks.

"It's going to be a long-term process," White said.

Officials also hope the trail will help bring more visitors to Dayton and spur redevelopment along it.

In New York, the 1.5-mile High Line, an elevated oasis lined with trees and gardens that winds between tall buildings, attracted 7.6 million visitors in 2015, and $5 billion in development. It cost $185 million.

In Chicago, the 2.7-mile trail on The 606 drew 1.3 million visitors its first year, 2016. It cost $95 million.

Though other cities can't expect to generate that many visitors and that much development, they are developing similar trails, including in St. Louis and Buffalo, New York.

Eric Oberg, director of trail development for the Midwest regional office of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, said the idea for an elevated trail in Dayton never would have flown 20 years ago.

"The idea is fabulous. It's absolutely feasible in Dayton," he said. "This would create amazing connections into the heart of downtown."

But Oberg acknowledged it is going to be a long, expensive project.

In Columbus, Brad Westall, planning manager for Columbus Recreation and Parks, said the city is still discussing acquiring railroad right of way from CSX Transportation in Franklinton. He said the section of trail that includes the raised path would be roughly 50 feet from the active rail line, and the trail would be even closer as it approaches the Scioto River.

"There are engineering challenges," Westall said. "But, once completed, you really have a pretty cool urban connection link there, with fantastic views of Downtown."

Trent Smith, who leads the Franklinton Board of Trade and Area Commission, said the Franklinton Loop Trail will clean up the area and create interesting ways of getting around the neighborhood, tying into the path that runs along the Scioto River near COSI.

Hoyt, the Recreation and Parks spokesman, said the Franklinton project will take three to five years. City officials hope that once it's finished it will spur development.

"Whenever you have community areas with trails and parks, there's an economic impact," Hoyt said.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik