The “Ohio to Erie Trail” will be nearing completion later this year in Westerville by connecting Westerville and Columbus by a bike trail. This is part of a much larger plan by the Ohio to Erie Trail Board (OTET) to connect Cleveland and Loveland purely by bike trails.
Starting past the main street bridge leading out of main campus and heading toward the Arts and Communication building, the trail currently is only a few miles long before cyclists must exit the trail and enter the main roads.
Julie Van Winkle, the executive coordinator of OTET said "Founded in 1991 as a dream to connect the Ohio River at Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland via a network of trails using land formerly occupied by railroads and canals, the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) traverses 14 counties across the state and is comprised of a series of local trails."
Until the trail is completed, the course is able to be completed without the Westerville to Columbus portion, but leads cyclists through large roads and on sidewalks.
the trail will serve more purpose than just getting to Columbus,The path will also lead cyclists near several Westerville parks, making them much more accessible by bike.The travel time without the paths is an hour and 20 minutes assuming the cyclist averages 20 miles-an-hour, but the estimated biking time with the new paths will be about an hour.
OTET plans to send 25 riders to bike the whole path this September to celebrate the 25th year of progress. The trip will encompass a five day period with three overnight stops in Cedarville, Columbus and Millersburg, respectively. Each rider will also be asked to donate $500 to aid in the completion of the trail.
The plan was assessed in 2008 to discuss budgeting through 2014, which was when the Westerville portion of the trail was conceived. OTET has many plans for the completion of the trail, which will near completion in upcoming years.
