The project is about a 0.5-mile path creating a safe connection across Interstate 675 for cyclists traveling to and from both cities’ bike trail networks, officials from both cities have said.
“This connection makes Iron Horse Trail more accessible to residents south of I-675 by creating an off-road path that connects Iron Horse Trail to Bigger Road Trail and creates a signed crossing at Bigger Road,” Centerville Assistant City Engineer David Swanson said in an email.
Currently the Iron Horse Bike Trail ends at the north side of I-675, according to Kettering.
The new path will cross Bigger Road just south of the Kettering line and connect to the existing path that goes over the interstate, said Chad Ingle, Kettering’s project engineer.
Much of the project will be paid for through federal transportation funds obtained by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. Kettering will pay $129,000 and Centerville $119,000, records show.
Whipp, Hewitt and Bigger traffic will be maintained. Lane shifts and closures may be required, but no traffic problems are anticipated, officials have said.
The cities combine for about 43 miles of bike trails (Kettering 28, Centerville nearly 15) and both have routes leading to the Great Miami Bikeway.
Records show the project will include:
•A 10-foot concrete path with a buffer on the south side of Whipp from the Iron Horse Trail to Hewitt.
•A covered bike station at the Whipp/Hewitt intersection.
•Bikeway signage on Hewitt from Whipp to Bigger.
•A 10-foot concrete path with a buffer on Bigger from Hewitt to North Quinilla Way.
•A lighted, marked crossing with signage and flashing beacons on Bigger to connect to the existing trail.
•ADA-compliant curb ramps as required.
The bid by Deweese came in under the engineering estimate of $475,000, records show. Only one submission — Performance Site Development of Fairborn — surpassed the estimate.
Bike trail bids
•Performance Site Development, $483,778
•Belgray Inc., $469,432
•R.B. Jergens Contractors, $452,836
•Outdoor Enterprises, $450,716
•Brumbaugh Construction, $440,770
•Double Jay Construction, $429,128
•L.J. Deweese Co. Inc., $413,859
Source: City of Kettering
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