Athens Mayor Ric Abel announced yesterday that the city received a $100,000 state grant to complete a 1.2-mile extension of the bike path that runs along the Hocking River.
The extension will lengthen the bike path from its current ending point near the Pepsi plant at 2001 E. State St. to the Super 8 Motel at 2091 E. State St.. The grant will reimburse the city for about one-sixth of the project's estimated $600,000 total cost.
Abel said the city will ask for bids on the project this winter and begin construction in March. Officials are working out the final engineering details for the path, he said.
The grant comes from the $25 million Clean Ohio Trails Fund, a program executed over four years to provide funding for outdoor recreational trails. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources administers about $6.25 million dollars in grant money for trails each year.
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Matt Zapotosky
