The lower Olentangy Trail will be closed until January for the second phase of the Cannon Drive relocation project, shutting off a popular walking and biking path for students. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Cyclists and pedestrians will have to look elsewhere to exercise, as the Lower Olentangy Trail will be closed until January 2023 — after first closing Sept. 6 — for the second phase of the Cannon Drive Relocation Project.
University spokesperson Nicole Holman said in an email the trail will remain closed between the French Field House and Ohio Stadium. She said path users have been detoured to take the upper trail in this area and are encouraged to proceed with caution while crossing Woody Hayes Drive in between the two trails.
“Cyclists are encouraged to dismount their bikes when crossing the roadway and motorists are encouraged to be mindful of this additional traffic crossing the roadway,” Holman said.
According to a release from Time and Change: Building the Future, Phase 2 of the project will build a flood-protection levee and reconstruct the roadway between John H Herrick and Woody Hayes drives.
Holman said closing the trail supports equipment installation that will add efficiency to the sanitary sewer system for future West Campus development, which has to occur before the construction of the levee.
“Flooding in this area has occurred in the past, so the levee is being constructed to protect the university from a historic 500-year flood,” Holman said. “Additional roadway and trail closures will occur beginning in 2023 and will continue through the end of 2024.”
According to Columbus Business First, Ohio State began preparing for a 500-year flood — a flood that has a 1-in-500 chance of occurring each year at that magnitude — after one hit Iowa State in 2008, resulting in $750 million in damages.
Christian Ammons, a frequent cyclist and runner on the trail and a second-year in marketing, said the trail’s closure provides a small inconvenience for pedestrians.
“It’s a little bit irritating because you have to now cross at traffic lights, whereas the trail you can just go underneath the street,” Ammons said. “It adds on a little bit of time, but that’s not a problem for me.”
Ammons said although he enjoys using the trail with his friends for recreational purposes, he believes its temporary closure is for the greater good.
“As long as the section that stays closed doesn’t grow, I think that’s fine,” Ammons said. “If it’s really a 500-year protection, I think that’s a small price to pay.”
