Officials push pathway project forward

PORT CLINTON — A federal planning grant awarded to the city of Port Clinton is moving a key segment of the Sandusky Bay Pathway from a regional vision into formal study. Port Clinton's government previously received $100,000 through the Federal Highway Administration's Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program to study the feasibility of a potential 14-mile pathway connection between the Sandusky city limits near Venice Road and downtown Port Clinton. This would involve reconnecting the Old/Sandusky Bay Bridge in Bay View, which no longer spans Erie and Ottawa counties. Many partners came together to make this vision possible thus far, including: • Port Clinton's government, serving as the lead applicant and grant recipient • The Park of Ottawa County and the Greater Sandusky Partnership providing support A vision takes shape The $100,000 federal award is supported by an additional $45,000 in local matching funds for a total study investment of $145,000. Specifically, this funding is for planning and feasibility work — not for construction. During the next year, this study will evaluate potential routes, engineering considerations and anticipated costs to determine what it would take to create a safe, viable pathway connection between Erie and Ottawa counties. A significant component of that work will be studying options for crossing Sandusky Bay, which would include what reconstruction of the former Bay Bridge could look like. The former Bay Bridge once connected the two sides of Sandusky Bay before being removed in 1985. Today, the approximately 2,000-foot water crossing represents one of the most significant gaps in the vision for a continuous Sandusky Bay Pathway. "It's exciting to see a vision take shape and progress from concept to plan," Port Clinton Mayor Mike Snider said. "This is an important milestone, but the ultimate goal is to move this project from the drawing board to reality — creating stronger connections to Port Clinton from across Ottawa and Erie counties — by providing a world-class trail experience for cyclists and pedestrians alike," Snider added. Planning work moves forward The Federal Highway Administration announced the award in January 2025. Following uncertainty surrounding federal funding and subsequent confirmation that the award would proceed, the Federal Highway Administration and the city of Port Clinton finalized the grant agreement this past June, allowing the planning work to move forward. Kimley-Horn and SmithGroup have been selected as the planning consultant team. Their engineers and planners will evaluate the corridor and develop a preferred route, assess feasibility and identify potential project costs. The work will give local and regional partners a clearer understanding of what would be required to eventually pursue design, engineering and construction funding. "It's exciting to begin exploring the feasibility of a future regional trail connection between Erie and Ottawa counties via the Old Bay Bridge while also examining potential trail routes connecting the bridge to Port Clinton," said Jannah Wilson, the Park District of Ottawa County's executive director. "This project closely supports the park district's mission and reflects the community's strong interest in expanding trail networks throughout our region," Wilson said. Ideally a 100-mile trail The Sandusky Bay Pathway vision originated with the city of Sandusky and has since grown into a regional effort to connect communities along and near the Lake Erie shoreline through more than 100 miles of multi-use trail. Today that vision is guided by the Sandusky Bay Pathway Coalition, a collaborative group of municipalities, park districts, planning organizations and regional partners convened by the partnership to coordinate planning, funding, communication and long-term development of the Pathway across jurisdictional boundaries. Both the city of Port Clinton and county park district are members of the coalition. While individual sections of the pathway are already complete or advancing through separate planning and construction projects, connecting Erie and Ottawa counties requires addressing the physical challenge created by Sandusky Bay. The active transportation infrastructure investment program study is intended to determine how that connection could work and what it would take to make it possible. "This is exactly why the Sandusky Bay Pathway has to be approached as a regional project," said Jeff Kerr, the partnership's planning and policy director. "A 100-plus-mile vision is ultimately accomplished one connection at a time," Kerr added. "This study will give us the engineering, planning and cost information we need to understand this gap and make informed decisions about what comes next." Getting feedback Public input will be an important part of the planning process. Two public meetings are anticipated during the study, which include meetings in Bay View and Port Clinton. Dates, times and additional details will be announced as they are finalized. The study itself does not commit the communities or project partners to construction of a specific route or bay crossing. Rather, its findings will help: • Determine feasibility • Identify a preferred route • Provide the information necessary to evaluate potential future phases and funding opportunities Updates on the study, public meetings and the broader Sandusky Bay Pathway initiative will be available at sanduskybaypathway.com.