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Do IT this week: Layering
Akron will dedicate new section of path along Summit Lake
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 05:30 p.m. EDT, Aug 30, 2009
Users of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail won't need a miracle to walk on water.
The newest segment of the Towpath Trail in South Akron includes a floating section that runs nearly a third of a mile along Summit Lake's southern shoreline and passes under the Kenmore Boulevard bridge.
Akron will dedicate the addition to the trail, which runs south from the Summit Lake Community Center to Waterloo Road, at ceremonies at 11 a.m. Friday.
The wood-covered floating section — one of the most unusual features anywhere along the trail — is 14 feet wide and runs 1,645 feet over water, starting at Lewis Street.
Supported by polyethylene-filled floats, the section is anchored securely to the lake bottom and sits 16 to 18 inches above the water, decked with a durable hardwood from Brazil and 41/2-foot railings with mesh fencing.
The project includes a floating observation deck along the floating trail at the southern end of the lake.
Akron spokesman Mike Teodecki said the floating trail was necessary because the city does not own any shoreline in that area. It was the most economical way to proceed with the trail.
Teodecki noted that the original canal featured a floating section of towpath for mules pulling canalboats at Summit Lake.
A small section of the floating trail was torched in April when someone stole a city vehicle and set it afire where the floating section ended and the trail resumed on land south of Summit Lake. That damage was repaired.
Nearly complete
Completion from Summit Lake to Waterloo Road also signals a major milestone: The Towpath Trail is nearly complete in Summit County.
That news thrills Dan Rice and other trail supporters, who have been promoting the 101-mile trail from Cleveland through Akron to New Philadelphia for 20 years.
The final two trail sections in Summit — in Akron and in Barberton — won't be finished until 2010 or later. But to Rice and other trail supporters, that doesn't matter.
''It's just an incredible accomplishment,'' said Rice, president and chief executive of the Akron-based Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, a grass-roots group.
''It's taken a lot of work and a lot of money and it's a tribute to all of our partners in Summit County who made it a top priority and to everyone who uses the Towpath Trail. . . .The towpath has changed Northeast Ohio and enriched a lot of lives.''
Rice has been involved in pushing trail construction, creating partnerships and lobbying for funds for the popular trail since 1994.
Construction of the initial section of the Towpath Trail — 19.7 miles in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park — got started in May 1990. That section was dedicated in 1993.
Today, 82 miles of trail are complete in Summit, Stark, Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas counties, with another 19 miles, including 1.5 miles in Summit County, still to go.
More than $85.2 million has been invested in the trail, which annually attracts an estimated 2.2 million walkers, hikers and bicyclists.
It is the centerpiece of the 110-mile Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Canalway, a federally designated historic corridor from Cleveland through Akron and Canton to New Philadelphia. It is one of 40 national heritage areas across the county.
Akron has invested $3.6 million to run the trail from the north end of Summit Lake to West Wilbeth Road, about 1.4 miles. The land trail is 10 feet wide with 2-foot shoulders on each side.
The work was done by Cavanaugh Building Corp. of Akron., which also extended the trail from Wilbeth south to West Waterloo Road.
That extension runs three-fourths of a mile on the canal's east bank and includes a 60-vehicle parking lot off Wilbeth Road. The price tag: $1.6 million.
One segment left
That leaves one Akron section of the towpath to be built: a half-mile piece downtown by Advanced Elastomer Systems. That section has been broken into three projects totaling $7.7 million, with work likely to begin this year and to be completed by July, Teodecki said.
It will require extending the trail south about 2,100 feet through the AES complex, running under a new bridge for motorists at West Bartges Street and continuing south of Bartges for 400 to 500 feet, he said.
The trail will then connect with a paved trail that runs south to Summit Lake.
That would leave one leg to complete: a 1.25-mile section in southern Summit County.
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is working on the trail from Eastern Road in New Franklin north to Snyder Avenue in Barberton. That section crosses an old landfill and an active rail line. The price tag is $2.2 million.
That section will require a tunnel under the rail line, a boardwalk, a bridge over the Tuscarawas River and a bridge over the canal.
The work remains on hold until an agreement can be worked out with the railroad, park planner David Whited said.
Stark County has completed 25 miles of the Towpath Trail — with a railroad crossing in Massillon and a section on the Stark-Tuscarawas line still to be completed.
It is unlikely that the park district will get permission to cross the rail line on the Tuscarawas River levee near Tremont Street, so the Towpath Trail will probably remain detoured onto the west side of the river in Massillon, said park district spokeswoman Sarah Buell.
The current detour runs from Lincoln Way West (state Route 172) to Walnut Avenue but it will shrink to Tremont Avenue to Walnut Avenue when the widened Tremont bridge is completed and the Towpath is built on the east side of the river between Lincoln Way West and Tremont, she said.
The park district this fall is extending the trail by a half mile near state Route 212 at the Stark-Tuscarawas county line, but a new bridge is needed to carry the trail over the Tuscarawas River where a historic aqueduct stood, she said.
Design work is under way, $440,000 in federal funds is secured and $1 million is still needed, she said.
Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas counties need to build the remaining 15 miles of trail.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Users of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail won't need a miracle to walk on water.
The newest segment of the Towpath Trail in South Akron includes a floating section that runs nearly a third of a mile along Summit Lake's southern shoreline and passes under the Kenmore Boulevard bridge.
Akron will dedicate the addition to the trail, which runs south from the Summit Lake Community Center to Waterloo Road, at ceremonies at 11 a.m. Friday.
The wood-covered floating section — one of the most unusual features anywhere along the trail — is 14 feet wide and runs 1,645 feet over water, starting at Lewis Street.
Supported by polyethylene-filled floats, the section is anchored securely to the lake bottom and sits 16 to 18 inches above the water, decked with a durable hardwood from Brazil and 41/2-foot railings with mesh fencing.
The project includes a floating observation deck along the floating trail at the southern end of the lake.
Akron spokesman Mike Teodecki said the floating trail was necessary because the city does not own any shoreline in that area. It was the most economical way to proceed with the trail.
Teodecki noted that the original canal featured a floating section of towpath for mules pulling canalboats at Summit Lake.
A small section of the floating trail was torched in April when someone stole a city vehicle and set it afire where the floating section ended and the trail resumed on land south of Summit Lake. That damage was repaired.
Nearly complete
Completion from Summit Lake to Waterloo Road also signals a major milestone: The Towpath Trail is nearly complete in Summit County.
That news thrills Dan Rice and other trail supporters, who have been promoting the 101-mile trail from Cleveland through Akron to New Philadelphia for 20 years.
The final two trail sections in Summit — in Akron and in Barberton — won't be finished until 2010 or later. But to Rice and other trail supporters, that doesn't matter.
''It's just an incredible accomplishment,'' said Rice, president and chief executive of the Akron-based Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, a grass-roots group.
''It's taken a lot of work and a lot of money and it's a tribute to all of our partners in Summit County who made it a top priority and to everyone who uses the Towpath Trail. . . .The towpath has changed Northeast Ohio and enriched a lot of lives.''
Rice has been involved in pushing trail construction, creating partnerships and lobbying for funds for the popular trail since 1994.
Construction of the initial section of the Towpath Trail — 19.7 miles in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park — got started in May 1990. That section was dedicated in 1993.
Today, 82 miles of trail are complete in Summit, Stark, Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas counties, with another 19 miles, including 1.5 miles in Summit County, still to go.
More than $85.2 million has been invested in the trail, which annually attracts an estimated 2.2 million walkers, hikers and bicyclists.
It is the centerpiece of the 110-mile Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Canalway, a federally designated historic corridor from Cleveland through Akron and Canton to New Philadelphia. It is one of 40 national heritage areas across the county.
Akron has invested $3.6 million to run the trail from the north end of Summit Lake to West Wilbeth Road, about 1.4 miles. The land trail is 10 feet wide with 2-foot shoulders on each side.
The work was done by Cavanaugh Building Corp. of Akron., which also extended the trail from Wilbeth south to West Waterloo Road.
That extension runs three-fourths of a mile on the canal's east bank and includes a 60-vehicle parking lot off Wilbeth Road. The price tag: $1.6 million.
One segment left
That leaves one Akron section of the towpath to be built: a half-mile piece downtown by Advanced Elastomer Systems. That section has been broken into three projects totaling $7.7 million, with work likely to begin this year and to be completed by July, Teodecki said.
It will require extending the trail south about 2,100 feet through the AES complex, running under a new bridge for motorists at West Bartges Street and continuing south of Bartges for 400 to 500 feet, he said.
The trail will then connect with a paved trail that runs south to Summit Lake.
That would leave one leg to complete: a 1.25-mile section in southern Summit County.
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is working on the trail from Eastern Road in New Franklin north to Snyder Avenue in Barberton. That section crosses an old landfill and an active rail line. The price tag is $2.2 million.
That section will require a tunnel under the rail line, a boardwalk, a bridge over the Tuscarawas River and a bridge over the canal.
The work remains on hold until an agreement can be worked out with the railroad, park planner David Whited said.
Stark County has completed 25 miles of the Towpath Trail — with a railroad crossing in Massillon and a section on the Stark-Tuscarawas line still to be completed.
It is unlikely that the park district will get permission to cross the rail line on the Tuscarawas River levee near Tremont Street, so the Towpath Trail will probably remain detoured onto the west side of the river in Massillon, said park district spokeswoman Sarah Buell.
The current detour runs from Lincoln Way West (state Route 172) to Walnut Avenue but it will shrink to Tremont Avenue to Walnut Avenue when the widened Tremont bridge is completed and the Towpath is built on the east side of the river between Lincoln Way West and Tremont, she said.
The park district this fall is extending the trail by a half mile near state Route 212 at the Stark-Tuscarawas county line, but a new bridge is needed to carry the trail over the Tuscarawas River where a historic aqueduct stood, she said.
Design work is under way, $440,000 in federal funds is secured and $1 million is still needed, she said.
Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas counties need to build the remaining 15 miles of trail.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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barberton, oh
Posted 08:14 PM, 08/30/2009
Wow! Who's up for a hike through the hood?
Stow, OH
Posted 09:17 PM, 08/30/2009
newday: I am.
akron, OH
Posted 11:30 PM, 08/30/2009
they probably could've just built it on top of the sunken stolen cars....
Akron, oh
Posted 07:05 AM, 08/31/2009
This trail is right through one of the worst neighborhoods. It will be good for the economy with victims worth robbing biking through this cest pool of humanity supported by the City government.
So sad Akrons leadership is so poor. I will have to pack my heat to ride this trail.
Bright side is bikers can discover bodies before they decompose.
Norton, Oh
Posted 07:23 AM, 08/31/2009
Better have you concealed carry permit.....armored bike......
Akron, OH
Posted 08:08 AM, 08/31/2009
From the picture above and with the story title, it looks like the bridge was flooded (1 o2 2 inches under water). Optical illusion.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:15 AM, 08/31/2009
Hmmm, some of the residents of that area will be able to pick up some new bicycles in preperation of LeBron's bike-a-thon each year.
KOOKville, oh
Posted 08:21 AM, 08/31/2009
It is flooded, you just have to have a mountain bike and some floaties for your arms. When you go thru this section, GO REALLY FAST !!!
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 08:48 AM, 08/31/2009
I have a feeling people are going to get "bike jacked" quite frequently now.
Jefferson, Oh
Posted 08:58 AM, 08/31/2009
This will be like passing thru Somalia, the pirates will be out in force...those $2000 bikes will easily sell for $100 !!!
akron, oh
Posted 08:59 AM, 08/31/2009
I would love to try this trail, but wondered how safe is it. Summit Lake and the area around it, is a dump, and the city of Akron knows. What a waste of money and time!!!
Akron, OH
Posted 09:05 AM, 08/31/2009
How much did this cost us? 20 cops and firefighters? 30? Thank you, city leadership, for having priorities.
Akron, , OH
Posted 09:08 AM, 08/31/2009
@ newday
Every color it tired of the hood running the show!!
Akron, , OH
Posted 09:09 AM, 08/31/2009
is
Akron, OH
Posted 09:19 AM, 08/31/2009
Solution: Hood Tax toll booth.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:31 AM, 08/31/2009
I rode through this section on a ride with the Metro Parks. Thank God we had a Park Ranger with a gun. Pretty spooky area. It will be interesting to see if the deadbeats who live there cause any trouble for bikers and hikers.
akron, OH
Posted 10:29 AM, 08/31/2009
Definitely ride as fast as you can through there, nice to see it was made with Brazillian rainforest hardwood!
Akron, OH
Posted 11:07 AM, 08/31/2009
I'm all for extending the Towpath, but no way in Hades I'll be venturing on that section of pathway. Botzum and points northward only thanks.
akron, oh
Posted 11:26 AM, 08/31/2009
I think it was raining , or had just rained . the bikers look to be wearing rain gear . the brige appears to be wet .. (very bad part ot town , vandals will have their way in no time)
green, oh
Posted 11:29 AM, 08/31/2009
This section of the trail has a whole lot of history. Both good and bad. Hopefully the park officials aren't nieve. This section needs to be policed 24/7/365 to be sure. If properly secured it will be a beautiful addition to Towpath and open the trail all the way to Stark Co. There are places along this trail I would be a whole lot more concerned about than this little stretch.
A hood near you, OH
Posted 11:57 AM, 08/31/2009
Wow 85.2M !! That better be one heck of a trail.
I think I will stop by for the ceremonies
friday. I hear that some killer shrimp coctails will be served along with some tasty Moet( that's if you can wrestle the bottles away from the mayor).
I really need to take a good look at that bridge and get a real fix on that location. I'd love to get my hands on some of that Brazillian rainforest hardwood for a small decking project that I'm about to begin.
Hmmmmmm......
Barberton, Oh
Posted 12:24 PM, 08/31/2009
The Truth Hurts, "I'd love to get my hands on some of that Brazillian rainforest hardwood for a small decking project that I'm about to begin."
I was thinking a very similar thing. How much do you think it cost to have that "exotic" wood shipped. Crazy....
Maybe they are trying to educated the "hoods" on how to properly exercise???
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:37 PM, 08/31/2009
A new place for an innocent citizen to be confronted by thugs. Anyone who goes out on that thing is asking for trouble. What a waste of money.
Orrville, Oh
Posted 01:45 PM, 08/31/2009
Scamming; Fathers disqualified for affirmative action with white skin, Union workers, and consumers, taxpayers, and Americas grandchildren’s children; to fund all stimulus packages, property tax abatement, tax incentives, tax credit, tax refunds, and tax exemptions; with money derived from wages or independent business profit.
And pay for the more stock dividends (money); Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers); market quarterly; in the wholesale and retail price of EVERY product and service; needed to build this Towpath Trail; that gets ONLY product and service; with money; derived from wages or independent business profit.
This makes free, fair, and affordable commerce IMPOSSIBLE; Makes funding schools, infrastructure, and etc. IMPOSSIBLE; Makes balancing every budget IMPOSSIBLE; Makes union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and America’s grandchildren’s children LIFE UNAFFORDABLE; and created the $40 trillion social security and the $9.3 trillion national debt. America’s grandchildren’s children are responsible to pay interest with this debt until they are 18 years old. Then pay the debt with the $6.85 per hour labor wage.
There is no reason to believe America’s grandchildren’s children that go to bed hungry can afford life; and pay this debt in a hundred million years; with money derived from wages or independent business profit!
Green, Ohio
Posted 01:46 PM, 08/31/2009
It is an optical illusion. The rain water is sitting on top of the deck and reflecting and it makes it look like it is underwater but it is not. The area is really nice and I do not feel unsafe riding on it and have done so. Nobody from the hood is going to bother you, because they don't exercise and are afraid of the water anyway. They will not venture onto a floating bridge.
Now Brazilian Hardwood, It is made to last and not rot and has been used in other areas. Initial cost is more, but in the long run it will cost less, because it will last much longer.
A hood near you, OH
Posted 01:53 PM, 08/31/2009
Hey Loren,
Get some help.
green, oh
Posted 02:06 PM, 08/31/2009
yeah loren...what the heck?
Independence, OH
Posted 02:09 PM, 08/31/2009
They saw it on Bob Vila and thought, hmmm bellawood, that'll work. But instead of $2.50sqft from lumber liquidators, we'll import it for $6.67
Akron, OH
Posted 02:14 PM, 08/31/2009
portagelakesguy:
They don't need to venture out there. They can pop you from shore. Like a county fair shooting gallery. I'll pass & take my bike to Stark or Tusky, thanks.
akron, oh
Posted 02:33 PM, 08/31/2009
The only Brazillian thing anyone using this part of the towpath will ever need is Brazillian Ju-jitsu. You must be an ultimate fighter to walk or ride through that section of the city to survive. I can forsee Bear Grylls showing up soon for a taping of Man vs. Wild, deep in the heart of Akron's Summit Lake!
Akron, OH
Posted 03:45 PM, 08/31/2009
Two of my neighbors rode this part of the towpath at separate times on the same day. When they got to the South end of the bridge and started the next section they were met by a couple of unfriendly dudes asking "What are you doing in our neighborhood?". Both told me to stay away from this area. It's a real shame.
Posted 04:16 PM, 08/31/2009
I'm wondering if it didn't create a "pipeline" that punks are going to use to come into our neighborhoods now. I love the tow path but I wasn't looking forward to that connection. Even more reason to get my CCW now.
Akron, Oh
Posted 05:59 AM, 09/01/2009
I was going to comment about the Brazilian hardwood not a very "green" choice, but in light of all of the other negative comments I shall abstain.
Looking forward to adventure out on the towpath---let's ride!
P.s. Loren--I know you haven't been taking your meds
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 10:33 AM, 09/01/2009
Thank God for CCW. Summit Lake ought to be surrounded with gun towers.
barberton, oh
Posted 10:39 AM, 09/01/2009
Can't wait till they open the new part thru Barberton, gosh then you can walk thru the abandoned landfill, what a sight to behold. Then cross over the river and pass by (RUN very quickly mind you) the sewage treatment plant (ew-ew that smell). Have been on a lot of the trails and some are very scenic but still some are very unsafe.
Stow, OH
Posted 07:42 PM, 09/05/2009
I amost bought in to all the hype on this site but instead dared to brave this scarry, scarry place. Along with a frind and his wife we road from Manchester to downtown. The most dangerous person we encountered was a guy with his two little children fishing. Maybe if some of you got out from behind your computer you might not be so afraid all the time. To anyone thinking of riding this trial do it. It's good fun and bring your kids.
