Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — The Heart of Ohio Trail, which is planned to run from west of Centerburg to Mount Vernon, where it will hook up with the Kokosing Gap Trail, had an inspection by the Ohio Department of Transportation on Tuesday.

The inspection involved the many rehabilitated bridges along the section of the trail between Centerburg and Thayer Road. The bridges were rehabilitated by Crawford Construction of Galion.

“At this point we’re just looking at the workmanship,” said Steve Smith, an inspector with ODOT. “What I’ve seen so far is [that] everything looks real good. The contractor did a real good job with the concrete. We have many bridges we’re going to look at today. That’s really all the contract was for; rehabilitating the old railroad structures along the trail.”

Getting the bridges inspected is a major hurdle for the trail, according to Kim Marshall, director of the Knox County Parks District.

“We have had approximately 13 bridges rehabilitated on this trail recently by our contractor, Crawford Construction,” Marshal explained. “The project was paid for by the Ohio Department of Transportation by their Enhancement Grant program.”

Marshal said the Knox County Commissioners provided a matching grant for the ODOT in order to make the completion of the project possible.

The trail is open from Centerburg to Thayer Road. Marshall said the bridge inspection will ensure a safer trip for anyone using the trail over the open section.

“Users of the trail — and that could be bicyclists, walkers or hikers — will notice there is new concrete on most of the bridges that exist on the trailway,” she said. “This trail is a very important linkage on what is known as the Ohio to Erie Trail. When it’s completed, it will be a 453-mile trail running from the Ohio River to the shores of Lake Eire. We will see folks from all over the country coming through Knox County on their trek to the Great Lakes. And when they do, they will certainly enjoy the hospitality that we here in Knox County enjoy every day.”

When the trail is finished into Mount Vernon, it will connect with a section of trail near Barb’s Diner and follow the old rail line past the old Pittsburgh Plate Glass factory and along the dike bordering Memorial Park, then hook up at the west end of the Kokosing Gap Trail.

“Between Centerburg and Mount Vernon there will be several parking lots where people can easily access the trail,” Marshall explained. “We call these trail heads, where there will be paved parking areas and other recreational ammenities, such as perhaps picnic tables, pinic shelters and tables. There will definitely be one in Mount Vernon.”

The Thayer Road access is near the Knox County Horse Park. Plans are being formulated to provide some sort of access to the trail for riders. One proposal is to provide a 3-mile horse track parrellel to the trail. This proposed horse trail would run from Thayer Road to Tucker Road and back.