New Philadelphia Council gives green light to East High bike path
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 11, 2024) – City officials have been looking forward to connecting the Kent State Tuscarawas campus to the downtown area via a bike path alongside East High Avenue. Not everyone in that neighborhood is, though.
Service Director Ron McAbier says Council OK’d the path in 2021, and the city has already spent $250,000 in grant money on engineering for the project.
Council Monday passed a resolution supporting the city’s portion of the $3.1 million project, which McAbier says works out to under $30,000 after grants and over $300,000 in funding from state tax money.
A few East High residents spoke against the project at recent Council meetings. They say the bike path will take away on-street parking and East High is a dangerous route.
“With that, you’ve got to lean on ODOT,” said McAbier, who noted he’s heard many comments in support of the path, too. “[ODOT has] been in the business a lot longer than I have and they’re the ones that engineer it and move forward with it because it’s on that state route.”
McAbier said ODOT has agreed to begin paving East High later this year.