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Mad River Trustees Discuss Bike Path PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 16 March 2010 13:41
Though the widening of Dayton Road is an inevitable project, officials are now questioning the feasibility of a multi-purpose trail.
Clark County Engineer John Burr and Paul DeButy attended the Mad River Township trustees meeting Monday to present the preliminary plans developed after a safety study was completed by LBJ Engineering with the inclusion of the bike path.  
This safety study looked at the 1.53 miles between Philadelphia Drive and Stine Road.  The road will be widened to include a center turn lane, making the roadway consist of three 12-foot wide lanes.  There is also the proposed addition of a concrete island in front of the intersection at Dayton and Stine Road to prevent drivers from making left-hand turns in and out of McDonald’s.
The proposed asphalt multi-purpose trail would be 10-foot wide on the south side of Dayton Road and then crossing the street to the north side just before McDonald’s.
“We have been back and forth on this study,” said Burr. “We have $3 million set aside for this road project, but there is no current funding for the bike path.”
The widening already creates issues, such as temporary easements of about eight to 10 feet for work, but adding the bike path makes matters more difficult.  Additional issues raised by the path would include right-of-way acquisition, possible utility relocation and the additional area needed for storm drains.
“If we do the bike path, that’s a whole other thing. We’re looking at about 60 parcels we will have to purchase temporary and/or permanent right-of-ways from,” said Burr.
The line of trees along the south side of Dayton Road at Hunter’s Glenn is also a concern.
“This pretty much affects every parcel along the south side of the road, but at Hunter’s Glenn most of the trees are right on or out in the right-of-way,” said DeButy. “Looking at the current plan, they are affected by the temporary easement.”
He explained that the trees were planted right on the right-of-way line and as they grow, they encroach more on the right-of-way.  The first line of trees is right along the right-of-way and if the path were done, it would be pushed right up against the evergreens.
“Whether they have to be taken down or not depends on if they are in the way of the work. It is not our goal to go in and remove them,” DeButy added.
A resident inquired about the fire hydrants and water line along Dayton Road.  Burr explained that the hydrants will have to be moved back to accommodate the widened roadway, but they will not affect the main line, only the six-inch lines directly to the hydrants. The engineers will be working with the Clark County Utilities Department to work out the specifics.
Another concern is that the bike path does not have a destination and it ends abruptly at either end.
“It just ends because they didn’t have anywhere else to go with it,” said Burr.
The biggest concern is the funding.  The construction of the path is estimated at $200,000.  That figure does not include the right-of-way acquisition process, which includes the evaluation of the properties, would be $180,000 and the actual acquisition purchase another $120,000.  If the township were able to secure a funding source, it would most likely be an 80/20 percent match at about $100,000, said Burr.
Another problem is that the road project is scheduled for 2013 and there are no funds available for the path until 2014.  There would also be the added cost of maintenance as it would be the responsibility of the township.
Burr explained that typically the engineers look at where parking areas are located, where bikers and walkers want to go, and accessibility when choosing a location for multi-purpose trails.
“This one seems to be just kind of thrown in there,” he said.  “It does not seem practical to have a bike path along Dayton Road.”
The idea of adding this trail was brought up by a group of residents in the township who enjoy cycling and walking.  The engineers wanted to present the information from the safety study to the trustees so they could understand what it revealed.  
Burr wanted to present to township trustees so they could see what the study revealed.  Because it is a county road, the Clark County Engineer’s office chose to do the study based on the number of accidents and reports of how those accidents happened.
“Honestly, we’re beginning to question the feasibility of the multi-purpose trail,” he said.  “It’s a large chunk of money, and a lot more than I think anyone anticipated for a 1.5-mile bike path.”
Trustee Kathy Estep expressed her surprise as well.
“I had no idea it would be this costly. I’m just amazed at the cost,” she added.
After the engineer’s told the trustees they would like an answer from them within the next two months, Estep stated that she was concerned with giving a yes or no response that night.
“I would like to give the people who came to us about the path an opportunity to see this information so they can see our reasoning behind any decisions,” she said. “That $100,000 is a huge chunk of our road budget. Wow, that’s a lot of money. If it connected existing pathways and improved accessibility that would be different.”
“What we need to look at here is where it goes.  Would it be good for the public? Probably not,” added trustee Joe Catanzaro.
Trustee Bob McClure suggested that the township host a public meeting about this project to give the community a chance to voice their opinions as these are only preliminary plans.
In other roadway business, Dayton Road bridge will be closed for roughly 25 days starting the last week of May.  This 767-foot long bridge is the longest in Clark County.  The $390,000 for this project is coming from stimulus funding.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 March 2010 13:49