Plans are in the works to allow bicyclists and walkers to take an Ozark Greenways trail from S. Scenic all the way to the Springfield Art Museum.

A bill before Springfield City Council Monday, November 18, would allow the city to apply for more than $217,000 in federal grant money to construct part of the Fassnight Creek Greenway Trail, from Clay Avenue to Brookside Drive. It's an Ozark Transportation Organization grant administered by the Missouri Department of Transportation through the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.

Eventually, the trail will go from the art museum west to Ewing Park, "and at Ewing Park that's going to be a really special spot because that's where our Fassnight Creek Greenway, Jordan Creek Greenway and Wilson's Creek Greenway Trails all converge just like the creeks do," said Ozark Greenways executive director, Mary Kromrey.

Fassnight Creek Greenway currently passes through Fassnight Park, goes under Campbell, Bennett and Jefferson and connects by road to Phelps Grove Park. Construction on more of the trail is expected to begin next year. Kromrey hopes the trail can be complete by 2021.

Plans for the trail have been around since the late 90s, according to Kromrey.

"It’s an exciting time for Ozark Greenways,” she said, as they work with more and more partners to build key gaps in the trail system. There are currently 76 miles of trail, according to Kromrey, and 140 miles are planned. She hopes Springfield’s greenway trails will eventually rival the best ones in the world.