Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department to modify an existing contract with American Structurepoint, Inc. for the Olentangy Trail - Northmoor to Clinton Como Project to increase funding. The modification amount being authorized by this ordinance is $94,421.00. The original contract was authorized by Ordinance 1319-2020.
The central 0.6 mile segment of the Olentangy Trail, between Northmoor Park and Clinton Como Park, was never completed, forcing users to leave the trail and use a one mile signed on-street route traveling on five different streets. The route is widely recognized as difficult to navigate, congested, narrow, and unsafe. The route includes constricted sections where combined two-way car and trail traffic is on 11 feet to 13 feet wide pavement. This project will complete this final trail gap by designing and constructing a crossing of the Olentangy River at Northmoor Park, traveling along the west bank of the river. At North Broadway, the trail will use an enhanced bike and pedestrian crosswalk and signal to the Ohio Health Campus. The trail will then continue south and cross the river to Clinton Como Park using boardwalks in environmentally sensitive areas where it rejoins the existing trail. Ordinance 1319-2020 authorized the contract for Stage 1 Preliminary Design. Ordinance 1473-2021 authorized the contract for Stage 2 Detailed Design phase of the project.
The Olentangy Trail is Central Ohio’s most heavily used greenway trail. Recent trail count data shows over 4 million trail miles per year are traveled on this path. In 2018, Recreation and Parks applied for and received grant funding from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to construct the final gap of the 14 mile Olentangy Trail, from Northmoor Park to Clinton Como Park. This modification will complete the final stage of design including construction administration costs that will ensure the compliance with all cont...
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