LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Parks and Recreation officials announced Tuesday that the park loop road in Iroquois Park will reopen to the pre-COVID route, effective immediately.

In mid-June, vehicle access to the Hogan's Fountain and Rugby Field areas of Cherokee Park will be restored under a new plan. Metro Public Works and Louisville Parks and Recreation will install traffic control measures, signage and newly-painted lines in certain areas before the loop reopens.

To gather data on usage of the parks before and after the road closures, Parks officials recently announced their nonprofit partners at Olmsted Parks Conservancy asked for a two-week delay in the decision-making process.

According to data from the Conservancy, the largest change in usage pre- and post-closure at Iroquois Park came from visitor origin. The percentage of park users visiting Iroquois who live within five miles of the park increased from 26% to 41%.

A release from Louisville Parks and Recreation said that due to the lack of events at the Iroquois Amphitheater due to COVID-19 restrictions, this information is consistent with expectations. The release said there were no other significant changes in usage reported in the Iroquois Park data.

At Cherokee, according to data provided by the Conservancy:

• The average user visit increased from 30 minutes to 77 minutes after the closure,
• people from all over the city are continuing to use the park, not just those who live nearby and
• usage has increased 80% since the closure with March 2021 being the highest.

The demographic profile of the typical user at both parks remained similar following the closure, the release said.

Parks and its partners also received feedback from over 10,000 respondents via surveys, phone calls and in-person and virtual meetings.

"Approximately 67% of more than 7,200 respondents to a survey issued in March said they were in favor of keeping the Scenic Loop in Cherokee Park closed to vehicles," the release said. "Out of nearly 3,000 respondents to a survey regarding Rundill Road in Iroquois Park, 85% said they would be in favor of temporary road closures and a majority said they were in favor of keeping them open with traffic calming measures in place."

“Reopening the Iroquois Loop and ensuring access to public amenities in Cherokee Park while providing vehicle free recreational opportunities is a great decision for the entire community,” said Director of Louisville Parks and Recreation Dana Kasler.

More information regarding parking, scenic drives and accessibility to amenities can be found online.

Road re-openings will be evaluated over three months during which officials said they will continue to get feedback from park users on the future of both roads. You can share your views on the new plan by emailing parks@louisvilleky.gov.