I was proud last week to co-sponsor legislation with 6th Ward Councilman Brad McKitrick to apply for grants for the construction of the Akron-Peninsula Multi-Purpose Trail Project. This $2.1 million trail will run along Akron-Peninsula Road from the bottom of Portage Trail Extension( think Michael’s AM Plaza) almost a mile north to the Timberland apartment complex. The trail will give access to the Towpath and businesses in the Merriman Valley to 5842 residents of Riverwood and Sycamore housing and 3 other apartment complexes.
The new asphalt trail will be 10 feet wide, along the west side of Akron-Peninsula Road, and there will be crosswalks for residents across Akron Peninsula on the east. There’s currently no safe way for these residents to walk or bike to the Towpath Trail, and these two pieces of legislation will cover $2 million of the cost of the project. This is an integral part of the Valley Master Plan and I’m proud to see things moving forward. Once the grants are in place, we can begin construction in 2026. Funding sources are from ODOT’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Grant, and ODNR’s Clean Ohio Trail Fund. The bulk of Akrons’s cost were in the design of the Trail.