New Bikeway to Connect Austin Interchange Area to Great Miami River Bikeway
By Amy Forsthoefel, Five Rivers Metroparks
last updated 06/03/2013
A new portion of the regional bikeway system will be added to the southern part of Montgomery County. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Medlar Bikeway is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m.
New Bikeway to Connect Austin Interchange Area to Great Miami River Bikeway
Photo courtesy Five Rivers Metroparks
A new portion of the regional bikeway system will be added to the southern part of Montgomery County. A result of a unique partnership between public and private organizations, the Medlar Bikeway Project will serve as a key piece to connecting major business and population centers to the regional bikeway system.
Phase I of the bikeway construction begins this summer at the Five Rivers MetroParks Medlar Conservation Area. Phase II of the bikeway ultimately will link the Austin Interchange area at I-75 to the Great Miami River Bikeway system.
This new bikeway is part of a regional master plan to make a southern connection between the Great Miami River and the Little Miami River bikeways - the region’s two main arterial trails. Construction is expected to take 4-5 months with the bikeway opening to the public later this fall.
Once completed, riders can access the new trail from the Great Miami River Trail north of Crains Run Park located just south of the city of Miamisburg, or from the southwest corner of Medlar and Miamisburg Springboro Roads.
The two-mile scenic ride through the Medlar Conservation Area contains mature forest, wetlands, ravines and a hilltop vista. The western end of new bikeway connects to the Great Miami River Bikeway system and the rest of the region’s bikeway network.
Phase II of the bikeway project extends the pathway east past Medlar View Elementary School to Byers Road and the existing bikeway at the Austin Road Interchange which then connects to the bikeway currently being constructed through Waldruhe Park in Miami Township.
Participating partners for the bikeway projects include Five Rivers MetroParks, Miami Township, Montgomery County Transportation Improvement District, RG Properties, City of Miamisburg, Montgomery County, and Miamisburg City School District.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Medlar Bikeway is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m., at 4528 Medlar Road, Miamisburg.
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