CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The board of governors for Charleston, W.Va.'s Yeager Airport has approved a plan for an old airport access road to be turned into a hiking and biking trail.

The proposal by the Charleston Land Trust would convert an old equipment road used 50 years ago in the construction of the airport to a trail linking Coonskin Park with downtown Charleston.

The trail would enter airport property from a point along Barlow Drive, not far from the trailhead for Coonskin Park's Elk River Trail. From Barlow Drive, the trail would climb a hillside overlooking Elk River and downtown Charleston, parallel Yeager's main runway, and descend to Elk Two Mile and Keystone Drive.  At Keystone, the trail would leave airport property and eventually cross through Northgate commercial park, Charleston's Spring Hill Cemetery and enter downtown Charleston.

A small parking lot near the Barlow Drive trailhead would be built on a site now used for staging construction equipment.

Under current plans, Capitol Market would serve as the hub of the trail system, according to John Bullock of the Charleston Land Trust. "The idea is to make Charleston a better place in which to live," he said.

The Trust would build and maintain the trail through airport property.

Yeager's governing board approved licensing the Trust to build and maintain the trail through airport property pending approval by its legal counsel over possible liability issues.

Work on the trail is not expected to begin until sometime next spring, after work on the airport's runway extension project is complete.

"We think moving ahead with this project will give us momentum in starting the other trail sections that are being planned," said Lewis Payne, a member of the Land Trust and Charleston City Council.

The proposal by the Charleston Land Trust would convert an old equipment road used 50 years ago in the construction of the airport to a trail linking Coonskin Park with downtown Charleston.

The trail would enter airport property from a point along Barlow Drive, not far from the trailhead for Coonskin Park's Elk River Trail. From Barlow Drive, the trail would climb a hillside overlooking Elk River and downtown Charleston, parallel Yeager's main runway, and descend to Elk Two Mile and Keystone Drive.  At Keystone, the trail would leave airport property and eventually cross through Northgate commercial park, Charleston's Spring Hill Cemetery and enter downtown Charleston.

A small parking lot near the Barlow Drive trailhead would be built on a site now used for staging construction equipment.

Under current plans, Capitol Market would serve as the hub of the trail system, according to John Bullock of the Charleston Land Trust. "The idea is to make Charleston a better place in which to live," he said.

The Trust would build and maintain the trail through airport property.

Yeager's governing board approved licensing the Trust to build and maintain the trail through airport property pending approval by its legal counsel over possible liability issues.

Work on the trail is not expected to begin until sometime next spring, after work on the airport's runway extension project is complete.

"We think moving ahead with this project will give us momentum in starting the other trail sections that are being planned," said Lewis Payne, a member of the Land Trust and Charleston City Council.