Plan in the works to extend local bike trail by 17 miles

Yahoo

27-02-2025

LISBON, Ohio (WKBN) – Local park officials hope to extend a bike trail all the way to the Ohio River.
Columbiana County Park Board Chairperson Eileen Dray-Bardon is proud because it appears that she and other officials found a way to extend the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail to East Liverpool.
The goal is so there could be a bike path that runs from Lake Erie in Ashtabula County to the Ohio River. The initiative, which is called Lake To River, is an attempt to build growth, innovation, and community development in the state of Ohio.
'Visitors to the county mean sales tax dollars coming into the county for the county commissioners to be able to use for improvement, so we think it's a real win-win for everybody,' Dray-Bardon said.
The trail begins at a parking lot in Washingtonville, just south of OH-14. It runs south through Leetonia, then through Franklin Square, and into Lisbon. Last year, a mile-long extension was added that reached a park and ride along OH-154.
The extended route would then go into Elkton from OH-154. Travelers would then take Middle Beaver Road (County Road 419) down to OH-7. Then they would take OH-7 past Beaver Local High School and turn left on East Liverpool Road (County Road 425). Travelers would take OH- 170 to St. Clair Avenue (County Road 428) before going all the way into downtown East Liverpool.
'We already have a lot of people who come over from Pittsburgh who come all the way to Lisbon and ride our trail. They could jump on down in East Liverpool,' she said.
Dray-Bardon said officials will not implement eminent domain. She said the route should be easy to implement because the route already has spacious right-of-ways.
'Middle Beaver Road, State Route 7, East Liverpool Road, which used to be at Route 30, and St. Clair Avenue: All of them have broad right of ways which would lend themselves to this dedicated bike lane. That's how we landed on these particular routes,' Dray-Bardon said.
The next step in this process is talking to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Columbiana County Engineer, and township trustees in Elkrun, Madison and St. Clair.
'Our next step now is really to introduce the various entities along that to this study and get their feedback and input and hopefully their partnership in making this a reality,' Dray-Bardon said.
Dray-Bardon said that everyone has been pleased with the initiative thus far.
'Now there's hope that this might be completed. There are many people that have been waiting for 25 years to see this trail go from the lake to the river,' she said.
This initiative is a part of the eventual Industrial Heartlands Trail, where a trail would be connected from Pittsburgh to the Ohio state line.
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