A yearslong effort to expand biking and pedestrian options in the region marked a milestone on Friday, June 26, as members of the biking community and leaders from Madison and Sun Prairie gathered to commemorate the opening of the Tancho Path.

Event hosts included Madison Bikes, Sun Prairie Moves, and nearby senior living community Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge.

The half-mile Tancho Path runs from Tancho Drive through Northeast Park and connects to Goodman Path. Seniors at Oakwood’s Prairie Ridge campus are celebrating this new outlet for travel and recreation, which ties in directly to campus trails. 

Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning included Christof Spieler, director of transportation for the city of Madison; Madison District 17 Alder Sabrina Madison; Sun Prairie Alder District 3 Alder Maureen Crombie; and Ed Grys, a resident of Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge, who helped campaign for the trail.  

Grys thanked the gathered leaders for their efforts in making the trail happen. “We appreciate all the work that’s been done,” he said. 

After the ceremony, cyclists were able to take a spin on the new trail and enjoy the results.