Great Miami River Recreation Trail Section 5 (Miami County)

Peterson Road South through Twin Arches Park at Eldean Road to Duke Park (Troy)
(Under Construction)

Construction News : On Wednesday 13 December 2006 ground was first broken for bike path clearing of Section 5 of the Great Miami River Recreation Trail in Miami County. The bike path clearing was started between Eldean Road and Peterson Roads so that the surveyors can get into the area to prepare the easements that are required. The planned completion of this trail section that will run from West Peterson Road (North) through Twin Arches Park on Eldean Road South to Paul G. Duke Park in Troy is 2009. Miami County Parks now has $1 Million to start construction and will be asking for another TEA21 grant in the amount of $800K to build a bridge over the Miami River at Peterson Road. Below you will see some ground breaking pictures as well as photos to show you the area where the trail will go.

Click on photo for larger image	Here we see the sign for Twin Arch Reserve at Eldean Road at County Route 25A in Miami County North of Troy. There are several features in the park worth noting as shown below.

The old Covered Bridge over the Miami River is in the park and was recently renovated by the Miami county Engineers and a new Shelter built by Concord Township.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	Just North of the County Route 25A parking lot is the famous Twin Arch. This bridge over the stream you see was a viaduct that carried the old Miami & Erie Canal (Free Booklet) over it in the 1840's. For more information about this park See Twin Ach Reserve webpage from the Miami County Park District website.

At right is Mr. Robert Shook, Chairman of the Miami County Bikeway Task Force at the site of the new ground breaking North of Eldean Road in Miami County. The land is owned by Miami County Park District and Miami Conservancy District.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook

Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook	IIt's not much to look at now, but once the trail's right of way is cleared and marked by the surveyors, then all of the easement paperwork can be completed for Section 5. Most of the land is owned by the Miami Conservancy District. A significant portion of the trail's right of way is on what was the route of the old Miami and Erie Canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo through Dayton in Montgomery County as well as Tipp City , Troy , Piqua and Sidney in Miami County . Again Mr. Robert Shook is in the background

In this photo you can see in the background the back hoe that was used to hack out a right of way for the surveyors.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook

Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook	Here is a close up of the back hoe taking out the trees in the way of the proposed route.

A photo of the cleared forest in the area being cleaned out for surveying.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook

Click on photo for larger image Photo: Mr. Robert Shook	This photo shows Mr. Neil Rhodes, the Concord Road Superintendent, and a worker who was driving the back hoe clearing the trail.

Also see a map of the parks in Miami County from the Miami County Park District so that you can see where Twin Arch Reserve is in the county

Yahoo Maps See Eldean Park (Yahoo Maps Label) in the middle of the picture. Navigate North to see I-75 and West Peterson Road. Navigate South to see Paul G. Duke Park in Troy, Oh.

Sponsorship: This page of Miami Valley RailTrails is sponsored by the Miami County Bikeway Task Force. Content will be provided by them to help publicize their trail status and construction. For more information contact Mr. Robert J. Shook Task Force Chairman at: 937-339-2637