First Central Ohio Greenway, Alum Creek Trail, is Complete
The Columbus Recreation
and Parks Department hosted the grand opening of the final 1.25-miles of the 22-mile
Alum Creek Trail on Thurs., Oct. 1 at 10 a.m.
Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Columbus Recreation and Parks Director Tony
Collins and many public, private and nonprofit partners commemorated the
completion. After the ceremony, Mayor Coleman led a bike ride down the newest section of trail.
“Constructing and connecting trails throughout the city is an
initiative that touches many of my priority areas as Mayor,” said Mayor Coleman. “Trails connect neighborhoods and downtown,
improve quality of life, encourage exercise and bolster economic development
efforts. Having a strong system of
connectivity is not an option for sustainable and successful cities. It is necessary.”
This last portion of the trail,
constructed by the Righter Company, cost $4.8 million but the department
estimates that it has spent $20 million for the entire trail in which about
half of the funding came from city capital dollars and the remaining 50 percent
through federal and state monies.
“As director of the department and chair of the Central Ohio Greenways
Committee of MORPC, I am thrilled to be part of completing the Alum Creek Trail,
which will allow bicycle and foot travel from Westerville to Three Creeks Park,”
said Collins. “I am grateful for the many partners who work in the region to
make connectivity a priority in the greater Columbus area.”
“The Alum Creek Trail connects neighborhoods, central Ohio cities, and
huge sections of our state with Columbus,” said Councilmember Jaiza Page, chair
of the Recreation and Parks Committee.
“The completion of the trail says something special about the community
we have in Columbus. City leadership is
willing to invest in the infrastructure to make our city a great place to live
and work.”
The Alum Creek Trail is the result of 16 years of
planning and development, and is the longest continuous trail in Central Ohio
that connects six neighborhoods, eight city parks, and one Columbus and
Franklin County Metro Parks, as well as Three Creeks Park which is jointly
managed by Columbus Recreation and Parks and Metro Parks.
The trail involved many partners including Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), Ohio
Department of Natural Resources—Clean Ohio Trails Fund, Franklin County Metro Parks, Friends
of Alum Creek and Tributaries, Ohio to
Erie Trail, Ohio Dominican University, City of Westerville and City of Bexley.
The trail is a key piece
of the nationally significant Ohio to Erie Trail, which spans the state of Ohio
from Cincinnati to Cleveland.