Sand Run Parkway and trail closures in effect
A portion of Sand Run Parkway and the jogging trail will be closed to make the first in a series of grant-funded infrastructure and ecological improvements within Sand Run Metro Park. The closure began July 20 and will be in effect for about three months.
With the assistance of a $2-million Clean Ohio grant, the park district will address a pedestrian bridge in need of repair and improve wildlife habitat in the park.
“As the park district’s oldest and busiest park, several updates have become necessary to Sand Run Metro Park’s long-term sustainability,” said Executive Director Lisa King. “While this project will result in temporary road and trail closures, it will ultimately benefit the public by improving conditions in the stream for fish and other aquatic life and protecting the park’s roads and trails.”
Construction will result in the temporary closure of the Revere Road parking lot, as well as Sand Run Parkway and the jogging trail between Revere and Sand Run roads.
The parking lots at Old Portage, Lone Spruce, Wadsworth and Shadowfield areas remain open. The jogging trail remains open between Sand Run Road and Portage Path.
Pedestrians are also invited to use the portion of Sand Run Parkway between Portage Path and Merriman Road, which is currently closed to vehicle traffic.
Sand Run Metro Park has long faced challenges from stormwater runoff, and the stream is impacted by several barriers to fish migration. In this project, a bridge at the end of its useful life will be replaced with a culvert, establishing a safe and sustainable long-term pedestrian crossing while allowing fish and wildlife to pass under the roadway.
Additional work will create riffle structures and deeper pool habitats for fish and mitigate one of three major fish migration barriers along the stream.
In addition to Clean Ohio funding, the park district has received a grant from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin infrastructure improvements to protect the park’s roads, utilities and buildings. This work is expected to begin within the next two years.
In the future, Summit Metro Parks will also implement a suite of educational programming and tools to assist homeowners and businesses within the watershed in reducing stormwater runoff to the park. For more information and images, visit medium.com/@metro_parks.