You have found the premier edition of Trail Talk - the online newsletter of the Miami Valley Bike Trails web site. Trail Talk will keep you updated on events and developments all along the Miami Valley's 330 miles of trails. In this edition:
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The Mad River Bikeway extension is underway! When completed, this crucial connector will bring the Wright Brothers – Huffman Prairie bikeway to the Mad River Trail at Eastwood MetroPark. This roughly three mile extension connects Eastwood MetroPark to Huffman MetroPark, allowing riders from Fairborn, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State University, and further points east, to ride to Downtown Dayton connecting with the Great Miami River Trail, the Wolf Creek Trail, and other attractions in that area. This connection also links up the Creekside Trail, enabling riders to connect to the Riverside, Kettering, and Beavercreek neighborhoods, Xenia, and the Little Miami Scenic Trail while staying on the off-street bikeway network at all times. No longer will folks traveling in this area be forced to ride their bikes on Springfield Street. The Mad River Bikeway extension is scheduled to be completed by May 18th, 2013. Stay tuned for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Learn more about the Mad River Trail at our Mad River Trail Page.
Creating a safe and seamless paved trail from Xenia to the Fayette County line, the Xenia-Jamestown Connector has been described as the missing link in Greene County’s 62 miles of paved, multi-use trails. A below-highway connector is located just southeast of Xenia and will go underneath the US 35 bypass near the US 68 exits. “Once the Jamestown Connector is completed, cyclists can ride from the City of Xenia to the Fayette County Line without ever leaving the safety of the paved trails,” says City of Xenia Engineer Chris Berger.
Cyclists will soon be able to take advantage of the improvements to the enhanced trail system. “Construction on the US 35 bypass related to the 200-foot-long bike tunnel will be completed by late November. Additional work linking both sides of the 16-mile paved trail will completed next Spring,” according to Greene County Parks & Trails Director Chrisbell Bednar.
Two similar below-highway bike tunnels exist in the region---Wright Brothers Huffman Prairie Bikeway and the Creekside Trail---but they are rare in Ohio, Bednar says.
Bids for the project came in below the $2.1 million maximum the federal government would pay. The Cincinnati-based John R. Jurgensen Co. started the federally-funded $1.42 million construction project in May. An approximate $293,000 for the tunnel’s engineering came from the federal government. Approximately $73,000 for that portion of the project was contributed by the City of Xenia and $17,000 came from a state program.
Completion of the connector will strengthen the region’s system of trails, Bednar adds. “The connector will offer another 16 miles of trails to the almost 300 that is already connected in the Miami Valley,” she adds.
For more information about Greene County Parks & Trails, call 937.562.6440, email rgregory@co.greene.oh.us or log on www/gcparkstrails.com.
Learn more about the Xenia Jamestown Connector on the Miami Valley Trails site.
The 2013 Miami Valley Cycling Summit Planning Committee is pleased to announce that the 2013 Summit will be held in downtown Springfield on May 31, 2013, in the newly constructed Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center. The planning team is working diligently to ensure that the 2013 event will be the most successful yet. The Miami Valley Cycling Summit is an event aimed at reaching cycling advocates, policy makers, and the local business community and conveying to them the importance of a vibrant cycling community. This year’s theme is “Cycling Connects” and the program content will aim to illustrate the many benefits of cycling infrastructure, policies, and lifestyles. 
The people tasked with achieving this goal is the 2013 planning team. The planning team is comprised of representatives from the City of Dayton, City of Springfield, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, City of Troy, Clark County Springfield TCC, Five Rivers Metro Parks, Greene County Parks and Trails, as well as many other organizations. Current planning activities include fundraising for the event, securing event speakers and presentations, and website development. The committee is hoping that the new Summit website will launch by the end of the calendar year. Please check back for details.
In the meantime, if you are interested in volunteering at the Summit, please contact Louis Agresta at lagresta@clarkcountyohio.gov. We are still a couple of months away from organizing volunteer efforts, but your help will certainly be needed.
New Carlisle Trail
The City of New Carlisle has almost completed the construction of phase II of the Tecumseh Trail project. City officials expect construction to be completed sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Because the trail is being constructed later in the season, the city plans to have a ribbon cutting early next spring. The Tecumseh Trail is a local trail that is planned to eventually tie in to the regional system. The first phase of the trail connected Lake Avenue to the north to State Route 235 to the south. Phase II continues the trail along SR. 235 to the City of New Carlisle southern corporation limit at the New Carlisle Sports and Fitness Center.
Check out these resources added to the site since our launch in May 2012:
Detours and Closures - one click guide to all current closures and detours on the trails in the Miami Valley
Printable Maps - select your county and print the quick guide to trails and attractions there! You can also order printed maps of the full system.
Camping Resources - planning an overnighter? There are places to camp throughout the trail system. Here's a basic guide to get you started.
