Corbin creek walk dedicated in honor of Commissioner Ed Tye

Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney and city commissioner Ed Tye shake hands during a ceremony Tuesday to name the Corbin Creekwalk after Tye.

Corbin city officials formally dedicated the creek-walk Tuesday in honor of City Commissioner Ed Tye, who is credited with pushing through the project.

At a ceremony held at the north end of the half-mile walking path that winds along Lynn Camp Creek, a monument acknowledging Tye’s efforts was unveiled.

“I appreciated it very much,” Tye said of the project that spanned an eight-year period beginning in 1998.

Ground was broken on the project in 2003.

At the time, Tye said he envisioned the creek walk as a good way for people to walk along an area that was not choked with traffic.

“I got to thinking about it and thought that would be a real nice area for our senior citizens and other people to walk and not have to worry about traffic so much,” he said. “We need a place for people to walk that’s not in the streets or having to cross streets. This way, they can walk the length of it back and forth and not have to worry about traffic.”

Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said the project, which begins at the Engineer Street Bridge and winds south to Barbourville Street, was something that took a lot of planning to complete.

Tye, with his wife Samantha, standing near a marker on the creekwalk that bears his name.

“Some people gave up on it, but Ed never did,” McBurney said noting that there was nothing to draw people to the area near the historic bridge before the creek walk was constructed.

“Now, it is one of the most visited areas in this town,” McBurney said of the bridge and gazebo.

Tye said he is surprised by the number of people that use it.

“I’m pleased,” Tye said of seeing so many people enjoy it.

“I’m pleased with the way things are, but we can always add to it,” Tye said when asked if there were any improvements he would like to see done to the project.

“I really appreciate the city seeing fit to name this after me,” Tye added. “It is really a good feeling to know you have something in the city that is important.”