North Royalton’s Engineering Department is looking for input from residents regarding the continuance of the Bennett Road path that currently runs from Royalton Road, south to South Akins Road. The proposed project will extend the path/sidewalk on that western side of Bennett Road, from South Akins Road, south, connecting it to Valley Parkway.
The original portion of the path was installed when Bennett Road was reconstructed in 2012. The original path was constructed from asphalt, is eight feet wide, and is located on the west side of Bennett Road.
The project is being funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) from a Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) grant. It will be publicly bid and administered by ODOT, according to city officials.
Once completed, the Bennett Road path will then connect to the Metropark All Purpose Trail. “A new 10-foot-wide paved trail along Valley Parkway is in the process of being constructed in two phases within Brecksville Reservation between Ridge Road in North Royalton and Brecksville Road in Brecksville. Phase I of the Valley Parkway Connector Trail will extend over three miles to provide a paved trail between Broadview Road in Broadview Heights to Brecksville Road. At Broadview Road, it will connect with the existing trail that accesses the City of Broadview Heights’ administrative and recreation complex to the north,” according to Metroparks Senior Strategic Park Planner, Sara Byrnes Maier.
According to the City’s website, “construction will require approximately 0.19 acres of permanent right of way; however, no homes or businesses will be removed as a result of the project. A contract is scheduled to be awarded in February of 2023, and although a full closure of the route will not be required, short-term, intermittent periods of closure and lane restrictions may be in effect during some phases of construction. Additional information, including a complete description, maps and plans sheets, is available here (city’s website, www.northroyalton.org). Issues the public may wish to comment on include the effect on local residents, air quality, the local economy, and historic or cultural resources.”
Anyone wishing to comment on the project should email City Engineer Justin Haselton at jhaselton@northroyalton.org, by April 1, 2022.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer