Powell City Engineer C. Aaron Stanford unveiled a preliminary design for the trail Tuesday. The project would add more than 2,000 feet of paved path and is nearing completion of its design phase.
City Council approved funding for the design phase in summer 2025, shortly after adopting a shared-use trail master plan earlier that year.
Stanford presented the latest update to the Powell Development Committee, saying community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We’re very excited about this. Anybody we’ve talked to in the community has been excited about it,” he said. “We’re really happy that we’re getting to the point we can see this being delivered.”
The proposed route, developed with civil environmental consultants, takes into account the area’s terrain, a necessary property easement and the potential need for a bridge.
The proposed design
The design includes a new crosswalk with ramp access across Bartholomew Boulevard, connecting the proposed trail to an existing path.
From there, planners have outlined three potential routes. Two options would take the path farther from Powell Road and East Olentangy Street, weaving through land that will eventually become Bennett Farm Park.
Stanford said the path will “100%” be one of those two options, but the consultants also included an alternate pathway that runs closer to the road.
“It is a really nice experience being able to be away from that busy roadway, because in that section, it isn’t curved,” he said.
He added consultants included a third option closer to Powell Road, which could serve as a more direct route for cyclists and others traveling through the shared path area.
“We’ve become a pretty popular area to want to ride your bike,” Stanford said.
The final design will be complete by the end of April. From there, the project will go to City Council for approval before being put out to bid, with construction beginning after a contractor is selected.
Project background
Council approved the masterplan in 2025 after the city’s engineering department studied the limits of the shared-use path network in the city.
At the time, officials said the plan would serve as a roadmap for future projects.
“What was exciting about that study and that master plan was that it would become the framework to plan a program of projects to become reality,” Stanford said. “And here we are today already, which is pretty amazing.”
The study identified what makes shared-use paths appealing to cyclists and pedestrians, including connections to schools, neighborhoods and businesses, as well as overall safety.
It also incorporated public input, with residents strongly supporting a shared-use path at that location.
Once complete, the path would connect into Bartholomew Boulevard and link riders to downtown and other parts of the city.
“So once we get connected to Bartholomew, you’ll be able to ride your bike basically from downtown and everything else that we’re adding in that area,” Stanford said.
“We’re providing that connectivity so that you can experience the community through those other means of transportation.”
The shared-used path will also eventually connect the land that will become Bennett Farm Park, another city project that carries an estimated $18 million price tag.
