Image Provided The village of Barnesville is working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to provide a shared use path along the abandoned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bed.

BARNESVILLE — The village of Barnesville is working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to construct a shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The village and ODOT are asking residents to comment and ask questions about the project. The comment period will end on Aug. 14.

The paved, shared-use path will be located on the abandoned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bed and along Railroad Street from East South Street to Bethesda Street.

The project will also involve installing bike and pedestrian signage, pavement markings, parking at the start of the path which will be located at the B&O Railroad Depot, drainage improvements and rehabilitating the railroad tunnel that supports East Main Street and South Arch Street.

ODOT plans to begin construction next summer and to have the project completed in approximately five months.

The department estimates that the new path will cost $2,370,000 to construct.

According to ODOT’s website, environmental studies are ongoing for this project. ODOT anticipates that the project will impact a small area of wooded bat habitat.

ODOT plans to remove any necessary trees between Oct. 1 and Mar. 31 to protect these species during their summer roosting period. Relocation of some utilities may also be required.

ODOT does not expect any vehicular detours to be necessary during construction. Pedestrians traveling northbound to South Chestnut Street, to East Church Street and to the existing B&O railroad depot and pedestrians traveling southbound in these areas will be rerouted during construction. All access to properties will be maintained throughout construction.

Village Council has been working on the project since 2018, naming it ‘Trails to Rails.’

Anyone who would like to request language interpretation, translation services or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability to participate in ODOT’s project development process can call Thomas Stratton at 330-308-3992 or thomas.stratton@dot.ohio.gov.

Those who have questions or would like to comment on the study during the comment period can contact Abby Anacki, attorney at Lawhon and Associates, by sending an email to aanacki@lawhon-assoc.com, calling 614-481-8600, ext.175, or by mail to Lawhon and Associates at 1441 King Ave. Columbus, OH 43212.

For more information about the project, visit barnesvilleohio.com or visit the Village of Barnesville, Ohio Facebook page. Information on the project can also be found on transportation.ohio.gov under project identification number 108050.