Garden Alley – next to Lock 3
This project is being handled by the City of Akron's Engineering Department. The canal was covered up in the 1960's by the O'Neil's parking deck, Cascade Plaza and Route 59. The water continued to run under the roadways and buildings. The City of Akron has worked to uncover the Canal. At this time you can see work being done on Garden Ally next Lock 3 Park. When completed you will see walk-ways through that section and a bike stair to walk up to Bowery where you will be just a block away from bridge over Route 59. This will be an alternative route to the current routes in Akron. The Canal waters continue to run under Cascade Plaza and Route 59. You can see it exit at Beech Street where there is a new trailhead (put in last summer).
Replace Bartges Street Bridge- The project consists of demolishing the existing 4 lane bridge structure, and constructing two new pre-manufactured concrete bridges that will allow for the canal bridge and bikeway underpass to coexist as separate adjacent bridge structures. Ultimately this will provide the pedestrian/bikeway crossing under Bartges Street avoiding a traffic conflict. The target date is 2009 for construction to start.
Summit Lake Towpath Trail & Kenmore Towpath Summit Lake Towpath Trail will be constructed the southwesterly side of the baseball/softball diamonds at Summit Lake Park near Long Street. It will be constructed along the easterly side of Summit Lake to Lewis Street. At this point there will be an at-grade floating trail extending from the Summit Lake shoreline at Lewis Street to Kenmore Boulevard. This floating section shall include a 42' by 40' observation deck located near the midpoint of the span. This exciting piece of the trail should be opening in late 2009.
Kenmore Towpath Trail is under construction along the east shoreline of the Ohio & Erie Canal, from the south shoreline of the Kenmore Boulevard bridge to approximately 150 feet south of the Wilbeth Road Bridge. A pre-fabricated bridge structure will span Sweitzer Creek. Floating deck sections will span the canal from Kenmore Boulevard to the CSX railroad bridge, as well as from the Akron Barberton Cluster Railway to the south side of Falor Creek. This will be completed this year.
Waterloo Towpath Trail – This project will construct a central portion of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Wilbeth Road to Waterloo Road adjacent to the Ohio and Erie Canal, along with the construction of approximately a 100-car parking lot at Wilbeth Road. This section from Wilbeth to Waterloo is under construction in 2009.
Barberton – In September 2008 a new section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Vanderhoof Trail north to Easton Road was dedicated. This section represents approximately 1 mile of new trail.
Canal Fulton – In September 2008, Dominion employees helped build a by-pass trail around the dry dock for the St. Helena III, giving trail users an alternate route around the dry dock.
Zoarville – The Ohio Public Work Commission has award OECC a grant to assist in purchasing 78.5 acres of land needed to complete the Towpath Trail to Route 800. The property is situated along the Tuscarawas River and be used for the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail and a trail head. This project will preserve flood plain land and habitat. |
