Bike trail phase 4 completed in Niles, connects to Warren
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NILES -- The Trumbull County portion of the Western Reserve Greenway Bike Trail has been completed.
Local officials gathered Friday for the official ribbon cutting for the opening of the bike trail in Niles, which connects to Warren. Zachary Svette, executive director of the Trumbull County MetroParks, said phase 4 was completed this fall and now connects Trumbull County to Ashtabula County.
He said the more than $5 million project of 4.5 miles of trail connecting the two cities is a big accomplishment for the long awaited bike trail project. The majority of the funding came from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program through the East Gate Regional Council of Governments, as well as local funding sources.
The Niles section begins near East Church Street. Svette said the local share of the project came from the Trumbull County commissioners, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Clean Ohio funds.
Svette said the entire trail project began 38 years ago with the local section in the works for the past 11 years.
"The community is looking forward to using it," he said.
Local bicyclists attended the ribbon cutting and then took off on bikes along the new section of the trail.
"We thank all of our partners who made this possible," he said.
County Commissioner Tony Bernard said there was a lot of hard work put into the completion of the bike trail.
"This trail brings tourism to this area and helps put us on the map,'' Bernard said.
Niles Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said he has served as mayor for the past eight years and the bike trail project was one of the first he signed when he became mayor.
"Kudos to everyone involved with this project. It has been a continuous ladder climb. There were a lot of pieces to the puzzle to put together to make this possible. When we talk about quality of life for people, having this bike trail is certainly the definition of that," Mientkiewicz said.
He said he has spoken to many people who use the local bike trail.
"This is great to be able to link our current section of the bike trail to the new section that connects Niles to many other areas along the trail. We should all be very proud of what has been accomplished," Mientkiewicz said.
He said funding also was obtained to paint the two former railroad crossing bridges in Niles where the bike trail passes through in downtown Niles.
"That was really a team effort to try to get the state funding to get those two bridges painted for the first time since the 1980s," Mientkiewicz said.
He said the project is "a gem in Niles."
Charlie Kohli, chairman of the Lake to River Greenway Coalition, said the project is one that benefits many people who use the trail. He said he and others with the coalition spend time promoting the trail and what if offers to connect people in the local area all the way north to the beach at Lake Erie
He said plans are to extend the trail further south.
Last year, the Bristol Township portion of the trail connecting Trumbull and Ashtabula counties was completed. The Western Reserve Portion is now complete and spans 43 miles.