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October 13, 2009

Bicyclists have new route

Green signs mark 5è-mile bikeway

By Joe Pinchot

The Shenango Valley Bikeway connecting Wheatland, Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage, Sharpsville, four high schools and Buhl Farm Park is complete, but don’t feel bad if you don’t realize that it exists.

“It’s not really that visible to the lay person,” said Hermitage Community Planner Jeremy P. Coxe.

The route uses existing streets and signs mark it — green “bike route” signs and yellow signs with a cyclist and a car that read “share the road” — but the route is convoluted, and takes riders on and across busy roads and intersections with traffic lights.

Coxe said he would like to meet with officials from the other municipalities to talk about improving awareness of the bikeway, such as getting it mentioned on biking Web sites.

Despite the bikeway’s anonymity, it took years to bring to fruition. The municipalities, working with Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, received three PennDOT grants for $513,000, and matched the grants by hiring Winslow Engineering Inc., Hermitage, to perform the engineering and design the route.

To lower the cost of the project, Hermitage spent its own funds to pipe ditches on the south side of Highland Road, between South Buhl Farm and Richmond drives.

Combine Construction Inc., Sharon, was hired to build a sidewalk on Highland, put up signs, install bicycle-friendly storm sewer grates and build road shoulders.

The company’s bid, $426,445, was less than the municipalities received in three grants, which allowed more work to be done, including pipe and catch basin replacement, Coxe said.

The 5è-mile bikeway, which also is designed to accommodate pedestrians, is challenging, especially on the southern end, where there are the steepest hills.

The southern end starts at Mercer and Broadway avenues in Wheatland and heads east on Broadway to Council Avenue, where it turns north. At Mercer Avenue, it climbs northeast into Farrell and turns north onto Patton Avenue.

At the end of Patton, the bikeway turns east onto Bond Street for a block, and heads back north onto Indiana Avenue. A spur from Indiana to Union Street connects the path to Farrell Area School District, but the main path continues on Indiana to Sharon-New Castle Road, where it turns southeast onto Charles Street, crossing into Sharon, and then turns back north onto Crowder Avenue.

At George Street, the bikeway turns east and crosses into Hermitage to Knapp Avenue, where it again heads north. A short jog westbound on Pine Hollow Boulevard brings the path to the Shenango Valley Freeway, which it crosses to continue on Smith Avenue.

The bikeway turns west onto Glenwood Drive, bears northwest onto Service and Spencer avenues, and crosses East State Street onto Forker Boulevard — by Sharon High School — which it follows to Buhl Farm park.

A spur from Forker to Highland Road brings a biker to Hickory High School. This section is being completed by PennDOT’s widening of Highland Road between Kerrwood Drive and North Hermitage Road. The final spur heads from Buhl Farm park’s Seventh Street entrance east onto Hazen Road, and then north onto Fourth Street to Blue Devil Way and Sharpsville Area High School.

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