The Ohio & Erie Canal Summit Lake Trail is a critical element of Akron’s Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative to better connect civic assets and foster social inclusion for people of all backgrounds.
Environmental Design Group developed the Summit Lake Vision Plan to include a trail to circumnavigate the lake and create a “spine” that connects neighborhoods and businesses to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the surrounding area.
Summit Lake is a natural lake that once contained bogs and wetlands. In the early 1800s, the state of Ohio built the Ohio & Erie Canal and forever altered the drainage and surrounding conditions of the lake. Because of this, construction of the trail had challenges to overcome, including unstable organic soils, narrow right-of-way, contaminated soil, and shallow groundwater. This required construction of a 130 LF bridge and boardwalk over the canal in two locations.
EDG was responsible for detailed design and documents for the trail, boardwalks, bridge, pedestrian signal, and project lighting. EDG also led the public bidding, construction administration, documentation management, and field inspection efforts and performed public outreach to keep residents informed. The project was awarded $8 million in grants and private donations.
Project Photos
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