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Jim O'Bryan
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:47 pm |
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:03 pm Posts: 10
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In the second ground breaking for the Towpath. Everyone with a shovel was invited up to take a dig. Of course Michael Gill editor for the Great Lakes Courier brought a pick in case there was some hard ground. More photos and a story in the upcoming Great Lakes Courier, and discussion here at The Bike Corral. .
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Michael Gill
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:20 pm |
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:29 pm Posts: 12
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What a great picture, Jim. The people there--from Ed FitzGerald and Frank Jackson to Sherrod Brown, Nickie Antonio, Ralph Regula, Joe Cimperman, and Dennis Kucinich--says something about what this will mean to the city. I saw Chris Ronayne, Tony Brancatelli, Debby Berry, Metroparks director Brian Zimmerman.
The Bring your Own Shovel thing was great schtick.
So: within the month, they'll begin the reconstruction: That patch of land gets re-graded so the riverbank can be naturalized with aquatic plants and a meadow, and a 2/3 mile stretch of towpath trail will be built. The money is there. The contract has been awarded. Ohio Canal Corridor director Tim Donovan told me this link goes from the north end of the Scranton Peninsula--in the shadow of tower city--south to the Innerbelt. The Innerbelt has the stretch underneath the bridge worked into its plans. South of there the completed Steelyard stretch, and then south of that the infamously contaminated Harshaw site. Those are the missing links. There are miles to go, but this is definite progress on a project that seems to be nothing but roadblocks. When the trail is done here, you'll be able to ride along a Cuyahoga riverside meadow while staring at the Cleveland skyline. Talk about transforming the way a city feels. I can't what to hear what folks have to say.
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Jim O'Bryan
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:33 am |
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:03 pm Posts: 10
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wdalehouston
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:50 am |
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Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:52 pm Posts: 1
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Can you show us where this is on the map? I'm not sure if this is the section just North of Harvard, or another segment.
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Michael Gill
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:48 pm |
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:29 pm Posts: 12
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Hey Dale! This is at the north end of the Scranton peninsula, directly across the river and south of the Terminal Tower / Tower City. If the sun rose in the north, this little park would be in the shadow of the Terminal Tower. The section of trail will extend 2/3 mile south from there along the west bank of the river to where the Innerbelt bridge crosses. The section under the innerbelt bridge will be constructed by ODOT in conjunction with the Innerbelt project. South of there, you go through some industry for a little bit til you get to the Steelyard Commons section of trail, which is another complete fragment. South of there (the south end of the shopping center property, at Jennings Road) the Metroparks and City have striped and signed a trail along Jennings and Harvard for about half a mile before you get to the Harvard entrance to the trail, where it continues south through Akron, etc.
This 2/3 mile stretch will be finished next spring or summer. Story in Great Lakes Courier, out next week!
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