By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green residents may not see it yet, but their city is on the verge of providing more options for pedestrian and pedaling traffic.
“Buckle up,” for the big changes in store, Amanda Gamby, director of communications for Bowling Green, said on Friday.
After years of debating the need versus the expense of providing better accommodations for bicyclists and walkers, the pieces – and the funding – are falling into place.
Most recently, Bowling Green was selected to receive $3.6 million to construct a 10-foot wide paved shared use path and intersection improvements along North Main Street and Ohio 25, from Poe Road to Nims Road.
The funding, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is intended to provide enhanced safety and connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians in the city.
With this funding approval, Bowling Green is now in the process of constructing four multi-use paths in the city:
- North Main from Poe to Nims.
- South Main from Napoleon to Gypsy Lane.
- Linking Cogan’s Crossing subdivision to the BG Community Center, and the BG high school and middle school complex.
- Linking Crim ElementarySchool to residential neighborhoods and Carter Park.
“These will increase the mobility options for our pedestrian and bicycling traffic,” including connections for workforces, Gamby said.
At the same time, the multi-use paths are aimed at increasing safety.
“The ultimate goal is zero deaths and injuries for all road users,” she said.
All four of the projects have received outside funding – and none of them will happen quickly.
The North Main Street multi-use path was selected for funding as part of a regional focus on the “Safe Streets and Roads for All” program. The county engineers in Wood, Lucas, Ottawa and Sandusky counties were asked to choose projects for funding.
Wood County Engineer John Musteric selected the Bowling Green North Main Street project to receive $3.6 million. BG must supply a 20% match, but that can come from other funding sources, Gamby said.
The North Main 10-foot path will extend to the new Abbott Lab manufacturing site on Route 25. The company reportedly has plans in place to construct a similar pathway on its property.
“We expect them to have a huge workforce,” Gamby said. And the paved pathway will provide for another form of transportation. “Some people can’t afford a vehicle, but still need to get to work.”
The city has five years to complete the North Main project, which also includes making modifications to existing traffic signals along the route.
A similar project along South Main Street is further along in the planning and design process. That multi-use pathway will run along the west side of the street between Napoleon and Gypsy Lane, and may include a pedestrian crossing midway between the two roads.
The pathway between Crim and Carter Park is set for construction in 2028. It is being funded by $500,000 from a Safe Routes to Schools grant, plus $225,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The Cogan’s Crossing pathway is being funded with $1.2 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Gamby also pointed out that the entire length of Main Street is being studied for a possible combination of protected on-street bicycle lanes or shared use paths.
