Tuscarawas County seeks company to design Towpath Trail extension

NEW PHILADELPHIA Commissioners have authorized the Tuscarawas County Park Department to put out a request for qualifications for design and engineering services for a 4-mile extension of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in the county.

The extension will run along the Tuscarawas River from the Fink Truss Bridge near Zoarville, past Dover Dam to the White Bridge on state Route 416 north of Dover.

"We are looking for a company to design the trail and give us an updated cost estimate so we can better target fundraising," park manager Jesse Rothacher told commissioners on Wednesday,

Early estimates for the project were about $580,000.

The county has a license agreement with the Kimble Co.for an used rail line where the trail will be built. .

Tuscarawas County was awarded $483,000 from a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Friends of Tuscarawas County Parks is currently raising funds for the local match and construction costs over the grant award. The group has a Facebook fundraiser going on. 

 If everything goes according to schedule, park department officials expect ODOT to bid/sale/award the construction in 2022, and the start of construction will begin not too long after that.

"Completing the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail through Tuscarawas County is our largest priority," Rothacher said.

When completed, the Towpath Trail will run from Cleveland to New Philadelphia. Much of the trail has been finished from Cleveland to the northern border of Tuscarawas County. 

A quarter mile gap from the McDonnell Trailhead into Bolivar is expected to be completed this year.

The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition has been providing Tuscarawas County officials with support and technical assistance.

For those interested in helping develop the trail, the park department has volunteer days scheduled for Saturdays at 9 a.m. on April 10, June 12, Aug. 14, and Oct. 9 (rain-or-shine).

"On the whole, I feel lucky to be a part of this," Rothacher said. "Everyone I see on the trail (whether they’re hiking with family, riding a bike, on a horse or walking the dog) seems to be in good spirits."