Great Miami River bike trail to extend 2 more miles to north

Great Miami River Recreational Trail is already 101 miles long.
Pete Kreke and his step-grandson Brady Cecil, 5, ride along the Great Miami River bike path in Hamilton, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. Brady had just received a new Star Wars bike and was trying it out. GREG LYNCH / STAFF

Pete Kreke and his step-grandson Brady Cecil, 5, ride along the Great Miami River bike path in Hamilton, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. Brady had just received a new Star Wars bike and was trying it out. GREG LYNCH / STAFF

The Ohio Department of Transportation is awarding $4.2 million to Shelby County to build another 2.3 miles of the Great Miami River Recreational Trail.

The new trail section will connect the Canal Feeder Trail in Sidney to the village of Lockington.

The project is another step toward a goal by the Miami Conservancy District, the Miami Valley Trails partners and the communities along the Great Miami Riverway to complete a continuous Great Miami River Recreation Trail running from Sidney in the north to Hamilton County in the south.

Already, the trail is 101 miles long. This project will increase the length to 103 miles.

“By building this new section in Shelby County, we’re closer to connecting all our communities along the Great Miami Riverway,” said MaryLynn Loder, general manager of MCD.

The conservancy district and the Riverway partners support trail development to increase tourism, drive economic development, provide alternate transportation options and improve health.

The Shelby County commissioners are grateful for the Ohio Department of Transportation funding, which will allow the county to achieve a longtime goal, Commissioner Tony Bornhorst said.

“With ODOT’s support, we are building stronger recreation infrastructure in Shelby County, and connecting our 48,000 residents to the nation’s largest network of paved trails,” Bornhorst said.

ODOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) provides funding for on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities and environmental mitigation; recreational trail program projects; and safe routes to school projects.

More information is available at greatmiamiriverway.com.

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