Black River Bikeway Extension moves forward

Lorain County Metro Parks Board of Trustees adopted the latest bid for the creation of their newest portion of the Black River Bikeway Trail Extension project during its final board meeting of the year.

On Dec. 20, the board entered in another agreement with long-time partner Mark Haynes Construction, of Norwalk, to perform the work and design the project’s Phase 3B trail behind Colorado Avenue on Lorain’s east side.

Mark Haynes has done a number of the latest trails and past projects for the Metro Parks and will now begin construction of 3B in 2019, according to Jim Ziemnik, director of the Metro Parks.

The price of the project is $991,248.25.

The board also approved K.E. McCartney & Associates Inc., of Mansfield, to handle the project’s construction management at a cost of $99,100.

Ziemnik said 3B is the missing piece to the project to connect to the completed Phase 3A and the existing trail on Colorado Avenue.

Phase 3A was the latest project on Lorain’s east side to contribute to the Black River Bikeway trail.

The trail was completed around Labor Day, Ziemnik said.

Phase 3A crosses Missouri Avenue south of Colorado, and with the help of 3B, it will connect to the existing Steel Mill Trail.

The Steel Mill trail travels behind U.S. Steel along the Black River and into the Metro Park’s Days Dam.

After the completion of Phase 3B, Phase 3C will go through the same bidding process at the end of 2019 and will join the end of 3A by 2020, Ziemnik said.

Phase 3C will connect to 3A and travel from the area of the Henderson Bridge, up north through Longfellow Park, reach Century Park on East Erie Avenue and to Lakeside Landing near the marina and Bascule Bridge.

Ziemnik said the Black River Bikeway Trail Extension will be just a portion of the county-wide connected bikeway trail; calculated to travel 111.07 miles.

In other news

Metro Parks Board Commissioner Kenneth M. Lieux was reappointed for a 3-year term.

Lorain County Probate James Walther appointed Lieux to the board Feb. 22 to replace the late Frederick L. Alspach, who served as vice chairman.

Alspach’s term would have ended Dec. 31.