The Olentangy Trail is a heavily used pedestrian and bike trail that runs through central Ohio, connecting Worthington Hills Park in the northern suburb of Worthington to the beginning of the Scioto Trail at Confluence Park in downtown Columbus. The portion of the trail from State Route (SR) 161 to Henderson Road was one of the first sections to be constructed over 30 years ago. Since that time, trail use has increased to an estimated 300,000 combined bicycle and pedestrian users per year.
The City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department sought to improve connectivity between Anheuser Busch Sports Park and the Olentangy Trail, reduce congestion and improve safety along the trail segment south of Antrim Park to a proposed trailhead at Anheuser Busch Sports Park.
B&N led the preliminary engineering study, working closely with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 6 to develop a preferred alternative that would be carried to final design and construction. The project included the design and construction of the new trailhead, a shared-use path as an off-street trail connector and widening of a portion of the existing trail from 9 feet to 12 feet.
The final shared-use path design included a northern alignment that crosses the SR 315 southbound to Bethel Road exit ramp and loops around the infield area between SR 315 northbound and the Bethel Road to SR 315 northbound entrance ramp, passing under the northbound ramp and connecting to the existing trail via a pre-cast concrete tunnel.
Honors & Awards
The American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) Central Ohio Section presented the project with the 2019 Project of the Year - Under $5 Million Construction Cost Award. The project also received a 2021 Honor Award in the Transportation Category from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio.