Photos Provided ABOVE: On Wednesday, St. Clairsville celebrated the 25th anniversary of the city’s bike trail. Pictured are former St. Clairsville mayor Robert Vincenzo, Mayor Kathryn Thalman to his left. BELOW: Pictured are former St. C. public services director Dennis Bigler, left, Councilmen Don Vincenzo and current City Councilman Mike Smith.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — On Wednesday the city celebrated the 25th anniversary of the bike trail, with current and former officials speaking at the gazebo at 215 Sunset Drive.

According to a proclamation by Mayor Kathryn Thalman, on June 26, 1998, the National Road Bikeway officially opened for the enjoyment of residents of the city and Richland Township, along with trail enthusiasts in the Ohio Valley and beyond.

She commended former Mayor Robert Vincenzo and public services director Dennis Bigler for leading the decade-long effort to work with federal, state, and local elected and appointed officials to convert the former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad rail bed into a linear park running north to south through the city.

The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad officials worked expeditiously with the city to sell the railroad property, giving the project the needed nucleus, and the National Road Bikeway is recognized as unique primarily due to two features: the 532 feet long and 40 feet high Rail-Trail tunnel under U.S. 40 – National Road – near the center of the bikeway which has been preserved and developed as a trailhead, and a preserved 340 feet long rail-trail trestle over Ohio 9.

The National Road Bikeway was a cooperative project of the city of St. Clairsville and the Ohio Department of Transportation, which provided funding along with transportation and multi-modal planning experts from the District 11 office as well as Columbus.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources professionals worked closely with city officials to preserve woodlands and wetlands along the main course of the National Road Bikeway and the agency awarded a grant for the construction of the Chamber of Commerce gazebo. Nonprofit organizations including the Rails to Trails Conservancy and its Ohio Chapter, the Sierra Club, Rivers Unlimited – Ohio Greenways, Ohio Parks & Recreation Association, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, St. Clairsville Chamber of Commerce, St. Clairsville Sunrise and Noon Rotary Clubs, St. Clairsville Lions Club, Boy Scouts, Belco Works, and the Gardner’s Forum actively participated in the City’s efforts to develop this unique open space.

Working with city leadership, the private sector contributed toward local matches of grant funding and led in the creation of a variety of enhancements along the length of the National Road Bikeway.

Special recognition was given to John Goodman and Jack Halloran, local businessmen who led the private fundraising efforts, and Bill Street who engineered the Bikeway.

Thalman said private citizens of all ages continue to share their time, talent, and resources to make the National Road Bikeway a focal point of the community, and critical to the longevity of the National Road Bikeway, the city’s leadership, employees, and seasonal employees have worked together for more than 25 years to further develop and maintain the bikeway and its enhancements for the community’s benefit.