When all three links are done this year, only two connections near Bartges Street and behind Advanced Elastomer Systems downtown will remain to complete the trail’s Akron route. Next stop: Barberton.

The trailhead at Beech Street is next to a former power station and will include a parking lot and an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible, ramped connection to the Cascade Locks Bikeway and the pedestrian connector trail. The approximate location for the trailhead is just west of the intersections of Howard and Perkins streets.

City Council will be asked to consider the $572,682 project at its July 7, 2008 meeting. Construction is scheduled for later this month with completion in October. The portion of the trail that will connect at the trailhead and head south to a new bridge on State Route 59 is expected to be opening in August.

The Wilbeth to Waterloo project is bigger and involves the construction of a trailhead and towpath just south of Wilbeth and east of the canal. Work on this is set to begin in 2009.

The towpath itself will be installed from south of Wilbeth to Waterloo along the eastern shoreline of the historic canal. Council will receive the legislation July 7. The cost is $2,086,779.

Geographically, this is the towpath trail’s last stretch of real estate in Akron on its eventual journey to Zoar. The work that began Wednesday on the Summit Lake portion of the trail will connect the trail to the Wilbeth-to-Waterloo section.

City Engineer (and towpath user) Ralph Coletta calls the towpath one of Akron’s best resources. "It continues to be an extremely popular recreational attraction and a real treasure for our community and those around us. Those of us who get to work on planning and building it are excited to see the final stages coming about."

(Here’s a helpful schematic showing next north-south progression of towpath)

• Beech Street (now)
• Route 59 (now)
• AES/Bartges (2009/2010)
• Summit Lake (now)
• Wilbeth-Waterloo (now)

• (Leaves Akron, heads to Barberton)

END