In a perfect world, the crushed gravel portion of the Simon Kenton Bike Path between Bellefontaine and Urbana would be covered by thick, smooth asphalt.
A 2.1-mile section of the Simon Kenton Bike Path north of Urbana to State Route 296 has been paved with chip and seal, a method backers hope to use for a portion from Carter Avenue south to Allen Road. (PHOTO SUBMITTED)
However, the bike path supporters are realists who have embarked on a much more cost effective process to shore up the path — chip and seal.
“Asphalt costs about $100,000 per mile, maybe a little more,” said Carmen Scott, a Bellefontaine resident and member of the Simon Kenton Pathfinders. “Chip and seal is about $12,800 per mile — quite a difference.”
Already, 2.1 miles from Urbana to State Route 296 has been covered with chip and seal.
A matching donation campaign is under way to start similar work from the path’s terminus at Carter Avenue south to Allen Road.
The pathfinders, a non-profit organization which led the path’s development, are very close to matching the $8,000 year-end challenge from an anonymous donor.
Members hope to exceed the challenge to chip and seal not only the bike path section but the parking lot at Carter.
Scott said the switch to chip and seal makes the dream of a paved 16.1-mile connector to Urbana a reality.
“I think it turned out pretty good,” he said of the completed section. “It’s not glass smooth but it’s not bad. It’s like riding on a township road.”
Hopefully, a completed section here will stir interest in completing the remaining12.5 miles, he said.
Chip and seal will stabilize the crushed gravel base laid several years ago along an abandoned rail line.
The base has been damaged periodically by people riding all-terrain vehicles on it, using up resources for repairs rather than new paving.
The pathfinders tried to line up an Ohio Department of Transportation grant to pave the section with asphalt, but its application was rejected.
Its members now are focused on private and corporate sources to fund the effort.
Already connected to a network of paths stretching all the way to the Ohio River, the Pathfinders hope a completed paved section will draw bicyclists who want to ride from Ohio’s highest point to the river.
It also could open the possibility of connectors to Indian Lake and Hardin and Union counties.
Donations can be sent to The Simon Kenton Pathfinders, P.O. Box 91, Urbana, OH 43078.