Cities working on joint projects to connect to trail

Springboro, Franklin officials expect to be completed in 2023.

Springboro and Franklin are working on projects that will help cyclists better access the Great Miami River Recreational Trail.

On the Springboro side of the project, the city hopes to construct what is known as Segment B of the city plan’s core recommendation, the Central Greenway, that will connect six Springboro parks along a 7.8-mile route developed in 12 segments over the next 10-plus years.

Springboro City Manager Chris Pozzuto said the city is planning to do the project with majority of the funding coming from state grants, with a plan for the majority of the funding coming from state grants.

He said the project cost estimate is $620,000 and the city’s grant request is $150,000 from the Recreational Trail Program, a federally-funded, state-managed trail development fund through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

“The grant request is at ODNR,” Pozzuto said. “While we have not secured it yet – we do anticipate receiving it. The remainder of the project cost will come from the City Capital Improvement Program.”

He is anticipating construction drawings to be developed in 2022, with construction and completion no later than end of 2023.

Springboro’s Segment B project includes a bike trail into and through Clearcreek Park that would connect to planned bike trails from Clearcreek Park to South Pioneer Boulevard and a planned connection over Clear Creek and into Hazel Wood Park.

“This trail connection will benefit Springboro because it begins to link Springboro to the Great Miami Bike Trail and other communities along that bike trail,” Pozzuto said. “Plus, it allows people from other communities to begin to access our city, businesses, etc., thus boosting economic development.”

The bike plan is available at www.walkbike.info/springboro/.

Franklin officials have already secured its federal funding through the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission

for its portion of the Clear Creek Bike Path Connector project that would link the entrance of Franklin Community Park to Hazel Wood Park.

City Engineer Barry Conway said the 1.66-mile section would follow Clear Creek and would go under Interstate 75 before heading to the park.

Conway said the total cost of the Franklin portion of the project is $2.72 million and the city’s share of the project will be $700,000.

The project has been approved by Franklin City Council and plans are already being worked on, he said.

“Construction is supposed to start Oct. 3, 2022 and is supposed to take oneyear to complete,” Conway said.

He said city officials will seek out additional funding to continue the bike path connector to take the bike path from the entrance of Franklin Community Park to the Great Miami River Recreation Trail. Conway said on the Warren County Master Plan, the connector bike path is planned to continue east and tie into the Little Miami River Bike Trail.

City officials are also planning a number of improvements in downtown Franklin.

CITY OF SPRINGBORO This is a map of Segment B which is portion of a planned 7.8-mile bike path linking six parks in Springboro to be completed in the next 10-plus years. This section, marked in red, would eventually connect to another extension of a bike path between Franklin Community Park and Hazel Wood Park on West Lower Springboro Road. That connection would enable cyclists to access the Great Miami River Recreation Trail. The gray lines are future planned segments. Franklin and Springboro are working on joint projects to connect to the trail.