Extension planned for University Parks Trail

6/19/2018
BY RYAN DUNN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
  • n4bench-jpg

    Toledoan Scott Rorick takes a break at the end of University Parks Trail at King St. in Toledo. He rides the entire length of the trail every other day, but says he would like it to be longer.

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    • A planned extension of the University Parks Trail in Sylvania Township is moving forward as officials will soon seek bids for the project.

    Lucas County commissioners on Tuesday approved the project outline and estimated cost for a 0.6-mile-long asphalt trail addition from King to Silica roads. Commissioners will advertise work requests upon Ohio Department of Natural Resources authorization.

    Officials hope to start construction as soon as the state approves. They must finish the work by July, 2019.

    This new trail, 12 to 14 feet in width, would also bring concrete curb ramps, minor drainage work, and mulching. It will expand the route to about seven miles in length.

    The engineer’s office estimated the construction cost to be $370,400. It includes $214,100 in grant funding from ODNR. The county engineer is paying about $37,200 for fencing work to secure the King Road landfill and $51,800 for 894 feet of ditch enclosure at the landfill.

    Metroparks Toledo committed to 25 percent of the total project’s cost, excluding the sanitary engineer portion. It is the full grant match amount, said Emily Ziegler, Metroparks chief of planning and capital projects.

    This work is part of phase one. There are plans to continue along Ten Mile Creek and north to Sylvan Prairie Park. It then connects on existing multipurpose trails to Sylvania-Metamora Road, Ms. Ziegler said.

    “It's a high priority for regional connectivity,” Ms. Ziegler said.

    County Engineer Keith Earley said these trail extensions connect to a growing part of the county. The trail is already heavily used, he said.

    “It's supposed to be complete by July of next year, and we hope to get construction under way as soon as plans are approved by ODNR, and ready for use by this time next year,” Mr. Earley said.

    Contact Ryan Dunn at rdunn@theblade.com, 419-724-6095, or on Twitter @RDunnBlade.