THE OHIO TO ERIE TRAIL
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
CROSSING COLUMBUS

DESCRIPTION

Recently, a new website was created for the Ohio to Erie Trail. The new site can be accessed at www.ohiotoerietrail.net. In addition to upgraded graphics, there is an interactive map and other features. One item of note is a detour rerouting of the trail through Columbus. The planned final dedicated trail connection will follow the original routing (the exact trail from Battelle-Darby Metro Park to downtown is still in discussion) but an alternate route is shown on the new trail maps - a road route from the current western trail head near Rupert that brings you into the city center via Broad St. It enters the Scioto/Olentangy Trail going north at Marconi and follows that trail all the way to SR 161 in Worthington; follows that road and other less trafficked ones to the bike lanes on Schrock Rd. From there the route connects to either the Alum Creek Trail and/or the Westerville Bikeway both of which go connect north to the Genoa Trail.

 

The new site uses MS Virtual Earth to give very detailed maps. There is a lot of other information as well.

 

The old website for the trail is here: http://www.ohiotoerietrail.org/. (The site is still accessible as of this update but that will probably not continue for long.)

 

The above website has some map of the trail through the areas:

Three strips maps from Selma to western ColumbusThree more strip maps through Columbus and north.
The general plan map for the entire state.

THE TRAIL CONNECTION TO THE SOUTHEAST

The nearest complete section on the southwest side of Columbus is the Prarie Grass Trail from Cedarville to London. Information on this section of the OTE can be found here: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/london.htm

The connection from the current end of the trail in London to link with our trail system will be via the proposed Camp Chase Trail. This would be either a rail-trail conversion or a rail right-of-way use trail that would follow the Norfolk-Southern rail line from London in a bee-line north-east. This rail line currently runs through the Columbus down town. (The rail trestle which crosses the Scioto north of Veteran's Memorial and North Bank Park.) The trail would debark the rail line in the Grandview area and link up with the current and future sections of the Upper Scioto Trail.

 

CAMP CHASE TRAIL UPDATE: 2/08

The Columbus Dispatch had an article in a recent edition, (2/16/08) which can be found here: Camp Chase. The story states that the Metroparks group, pending an engineering study, is prepared to purchase a right-of-way or easement along the existing rail line (which would continue to operate normally) for use as a bike or shared-use trail from the current terminus of the Prairie Grass Trail in London to a point where the rail line crosses I-270, the Outerbelt. This would take the proposed Camp Chase Trail through Battelle Darby Metropark. The trail portion from I-270 which would connect to the Scioto Trail near Grandview Blvd would be, I believe, a project for the city of Columbus and Franklin County. That is, according to the article, still in the planning stages. Once completed, it would provide a connection to the completed portions of the Ohio to Erie trail to the south and west.

 

 


THE TRAIL THROUGH THE COLUMBUS AREA


(Note: There is a rerouting via the Olentangy Trail, Worthington roads and Schrock Rd until the Alum Creek Trail is completed from Airport Rd to Easton.)

The OTE would make use of our existing and future trail system to pass through the city. The apparent plan would be for the trail to go south using the Upper Scioto and either north on the Olentangy to the I-670 area where it would cross that river and, via a new connector trail using freeway or rail rights-of-way link to the western end of the current I-670 trail, or, alternatively, continue south on the Scioto to North Bank Park where it would exit and travel, by surface walkway or bike lane, to the I-670 corridor and continue as above.

 

The trail would use the current I-670 bike trail north to it's terminus at Airport Rd and then follow the planned Alum Creek Trail section from there to the current completed portion at Easton and on up to Westerville. At West Main St, it will continue via either west to the current path north to Polaris--Maxtown Rd (the walkway route will be superceded by riverside trail north of the Sports Park within the next few years) and west to Northgate Way and the Genoa Trail or east, via surface walkway to the Westerville Bikeway and north to Polaris--Maxtown.

An account of riding the existing trail a few years ago can be found here: http://home.earthlink.net/~bikeohio/ohioerieride.html

THE TRAIL CONNECTION TO THE NORTHWEST

North of Westerville, the trail will link to the Genoa Trail.

The nearest complete section on the northeast side is the Genoa Trail. Some information can be found here: http://dcft.typepad.com/links/ and here: http://www.genoatwp.com/

For the trail connection from the south to the point below see the Westerville North page: Westerville North Page and the Westerville section of the
Community Trails page: Community Resources.

 
The view across Maxtown Rd to Northgate Way. The trail is visible on the left side of the roadway.An older picture shows the original end of the trail on Northgate Way.A view looking south at new construction extending the trail along Northgate Way. (DR)
A view looking north along Northgate Way. (DR)The new section crosses Northgate near SR3. (DR)And passes behind the UDF. (DR)
The trail emerges next to SR 3 and follows it north. (DR)At Mt Royal, there trail crosses the roadway. That's SR 3 to the left. (DR)On the other side, the trail picks up an old rail bed to connect with the Genoa Trail farther north. (DR)

Thanks to David Roseman for pictures (DR)

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