Sylvania River Trail opens from Main Street to Harroun Road

Sylvania Mayor Craig Stough. Enlarge

The Sylvania River Trail is now open, connecting downtown Sylvania with the Flower Hospital campus along a scenic pedestrian/bike trail following Ten Mile Creek and the Ottawa River.

The River Trail provides a new recreational opportunity for our residents and will help attract new businesses to downtown Sylvania. Our riverfront areas are an asset to our community and the River Trail opens them up for more visibility, use and enjoyment.

Following the north side of Ten Mile Creek, the River Trail heads east from Main Street until it reaches the North Branch. A trail extension connects north to Monroe Street while the main trail crosses south over Ten Mile Creek into Harroun Park, where it continues east along the Ottawa River to Harroun Road.

A major part of the trail construction is the bridge crossing Ten Mile Creek, connecting Harroun Park to the proposed SOMO business district. The bridge was fabricated in two sections, trucked to the site, bolted together and set into place with a large crane. The bridge is approximately 100 feet long and 14 feet wide. The long span was required so there would not be intermediate piers in Ten Mile Creek to interfere with the natural flow of the water.

Mayor Craig Stough and members of City Council participate in a ribbon cutting for the opening of the first part of the River Trail. THE BLADE/KELLY McLENDON Enlarge | Buy This Photo

Areas along Ten Mile Creek were restored using a native seed mix providing more natural growth than mowed grass. The area below the elevated walkway near Main Street includes rock gabions interspersed with natural soil and willow species to provide vegetation along the creek’s banks.

The River Trail is 12 feet wide concrete and asphalt pavement and is 3,200 feet long. It is designed for pedestrians and bicycles and is ADA accessible, with seating areas provided along the way.

Construction cost was $1,362,000. The contractor was HPH, Inc.

A little over half of the funding came from grant money: $430,000 from the Clean Ohio Trails Fund, $58,000 from Nature Works and $200,000 of State of Ohio Capital Improvement funds obtained with the help of State Representative Barbara Sears.

Future Phases II and III of the River Trail are being planned to extend the River Trail west to Silica Road and east through the Flower Hospital Campus and under U.S. 23 to Monroe Street near the expressway northbound exit ramp. Planning, grant applications and property easement efforts are under way for these future extensions of our new scenic Sylvania River Trail along Ten Mile Creek and the Ottawa River.