Several cyclists joined Mayor Coleman in celebrating the early completion of the Henderson Road reconstruction project, which included a much-needed widening of the bicycle path across the Olentangy River bridge. Throughout the summer, we’ve watched the construction of a cantilever-extension widening of the bridge to accommodate a widened path, and a protective concrete barrier between the road and path. The days of “one-way” crossings through a single-body-width passage, with only a chain link fence barrier, are gone. Hurray!

The picture above is our Franklin County Engineer, Dean Ringle; his department led the bridge portion of the project. It’s been a pleasure watching Mr. Ringle become more enthusiastic in the last few years about developing accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists. Thanks!
 

It’s been a slow year in engineering projects for bicycling accommodations. But, we expected this due to the challenging economic conditions. However, in a down year, this project was a winner. The Henderson Rd bridge project will benefit many on a heavily-used bike artery, and displays the commitment to our constituency.
 

So, as we put the celebration events behind us, we expect to replace those with many groundbreaking ceremonies in the coming year. There are projects in the pipeline, for which money has been allocated, so we’re eager to get building again! Up next? We’ll be attending a groundbreaking ceremony next week for a new piece of the Alum Creek Trail. Stay tuned!