ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Residents who are used to enjoying the National Road Bike Trail may have noticed preparations for some coming renovations.

During a recent meeting, Councilwoman Linda Jordan commented on the state of the stairs at the bikeway tunnel.

“The section of the bike trail that is by the roundhouse, a portion of it has been closed down, correct?” she asked.

“No, just the steps,” Safety and Service Director Jeremy Greenwood replied.

“They are pretty dilapidated,” Jordan said.

Greenwood said the area is being surveyed for repairs and upgrades.

“That project is started, but it’s going to be a good year before those stairs are open again, so we’ll have to adjust,” Greenwood said. “The design itself is going to take the next year, so those steps are going to be out of commission for the next year or so.”

Greenwood added that the primary issue is not the steps, but the overlook plaza.

“The railroad ties disintegrated, basically, so we just closed it down at the top and we’ll go through it, not much else we can do about it.”

Greenwood said the steps are about 20 years old.

“Next year’s the 25th anniversary of the bike trail,” he said.

The total project cost, including renovations to the wing walls and trestle, is about $3 million.

The Ohio Department of Transportation “is doing the majority of that, and there’s federal funds involved,” Greenwood said. “We’re only on the hook for 10 percent of the design and 5 percent of the construction.”

As of 2021, ODOT is investing $118 million in infrastructure projects in Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson, Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties. Of that funding, $27.2 million is going into Belmont County.

The 522-foot long tunnel was built in 1901 and extends under National Road. Around 2016, the city took action to repair weather damage, since water draining through the tunnel’s ceiling and sidewalls was freezing and caused considerable ice buildup. The city hired a tunneling expert from Pittsburgh to design a way to redirect the water to prevent the icing.

More recently, the heavy rainfall of 2018 further exacerbated the deterioration. A hill was sliding and pushing against steps on the north side of the tunnel, and it was necessary to remove some overhanging trees and unstable rock and soil.