PENINSULA, Ohio — Beginning Monday, a popular stretch of the Towpath Trail through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park will be shutting down to visitors.
Since 1991, the wooden Stumpy Basin Boardwalk has guided visitors through the park over essentially wetlands.
But after 35 years, the combination of water and wood has taken its toll.
“It’s a wooden boardwalk and wood has a lifespan, the piles that go into the ground are also wood so those have started to rot so just like anything in our houses or our decks in our backyard it just has a useful life and it’s reached the end of it," said Janet Popielski, Chief of Facilities for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Which is why the path will need to be closed to be replaced between Boston Trailhead and Lock 29 in Peninsula until November 20.
That's a time span that that takes them through peak fall foliage season but Popielski said they're limited on when they can do the work.
“Unfortunately, it is during a very high visitation time," she said. "That’s just how high construction in Northeast Ohio works. We can’t this type of work in the winter time, we need drier conditions so that’s why we have to do it at this time of year.”
The $1.6 million project will offer some improvements over the current layout while adding to the user experience while also hopefully extending the new boardwalk’s life span.
“The boardwalk will be raised just a slight amount so that it’s out of the flood plain so will also probably help with the views a little bit so that we think that people are going to have a much better experience on the new boardwalk.”
The park estimates 1.5 million people a year use the trail, that's roughly 68% of the park's visitors.
The park anticipates reopening a section between Lock 29 and the railroad tunnel, about 3/4 mile north of Peninsula, by early September.
The rest of the section will remain closed for the duration of the project.
