On September 14, 2007, the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2007-032 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2007-033 Plan and TIP Amendment Title: Towpath Trail Stage 3 Sponsor: Cuyahoga County Engineer PID No: 80975 Estimated Total Cost: $3,950,000 - Preliminary Engineering (PE) and Construction (C) Proposed Source of Federal Funds: SAFETEA-LU History/Background: During 2001 and 2002, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (CCPC) assembled $225,000 in funds from the Ohio & Erie Canal Association, the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners, the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation for the purpose of retaining a team of consultants to conduct the Towpath Trail Extension Alignment and Design Study, October 2002 (available on their Web site) The Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office joined eight other agencies, the City of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (Resolution No. 2004-047), Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio Department of Transportation, the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Ohio Canal Corridor to form the Towpath Trail Partnership Committee dedicated to the completion of the last 6 miles of Towpath Trail. The Cuyahoga County Engineer (CCE) is the sponsor of two Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 – a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) earmarks: 1) a House High Priority Projects (HHPP) Earmark No. 1688 (Construct Cleveland Towpath Trail. 6-mile extension towards downtown) and 2) a Senate High Priority Projects (SHPP) Earmark No. 4637 (Design and construct a Towpath Trail from southern Cuyahoga County through downtown Cleveland to Lake Erie).The Towpath Extension is listed in NOACA’s Connections 2030: A Framework for the 2030 Transportation System (June 10, 2005) Table 5, Major Projects Meeting TIER IV Definition. On June 9, 2006, the NOACA Governing Board approved Resolution No. 2006-023 amending CUY CLEVELAND TOWPATH TRAIL (STAGE1), from Harvard Road to Steelyard Commons, to Connections 2030 and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office will provide project management for the plan development and construction phases of this project. The Engineer’s Office will also provide surveying and right-of-way plan preparation services, as needed to the prime consultant for base mapping and for the acquisition of all property rights necessary for the construction of this stage of the towpath. Current Conditions: The Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office signed on as the management agency to oversee the design and construction of the Towpath Trail. This is the first time in Ohio that a County Engineer has partnered with other agencies to manage a trail project. After successfully securing federal funds for the design of the Towpath Trail last year, the County Engineer’s Office, in conjunction with the Partnership Committee, will solicit “qualification-based” proposals to select a design team to engineer the first phase of the Towpath Trail from Harvard Road to Steelyard Commons in 2006. Working with the Partnership Committee, the group was also successful in requesting the City of Cleveland to form a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District at the Steelyard Commons Site. This TIF will provide the mechanism to generate the local share of construction dollars needed to match future federal funds to construct the Towpath Trail and Canal Basin Park. Now that the local share has been identified and the design for the first phase will commence this year, the Engineer’s Office will be working with the Towpath Trail Partnership Committee to begin securing federal construction dollars for 2008/2009. Proposed Project: The project involves the development, design and construction of the Cleveland Towpath Trail (Stage 3), from Steelyard Commons to the I-490 (Quigley Avenue/West 3rd Street) Trailhead, in Cleveland. The project will be broken into components so that each area can be studied and evaluated based upon the unique characteristics that each component has to offer to the towpath. The Towpath Trail Extension Alignment and Design Study will be used to identify the corridor that the towpath will be built on. This Agreement will be implemented in parts appropriate to the plan development process (PDP). Stage 3 of the Towpath Trail has been broken up into components: 1 – Holmden Avenue Crossing Component 2 – Hillside Plateau Component 3 – Clark Neighborhood Gateway Component 4 – Clark Field 5 – Valley View Bluff 6 – Interstate 490 (Quigley Avenue/West Third Street) Trailhead Each component has unique characteristics that need to be studied to refine the preferred alignment as documented in the “Towpath Trail Extension: Alignment and Design Study”. Staff Comment (Summary): Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: This project addresses Goal # 4 (Transportation Safety) of Access Ohio through policy statement B1 initiative (Systematically reduce the number of at-grade rail-highway crossings). Approximately $900,000 of the combined total $5,860,800 in earmark funding has already been programmed for the PE phase of Stage 1 (Harvard Avenue to Steelyard Commons) leaving a balance of $4,960,800 for Stage 3and/or subsequent stages. Therefore, sponsor is responsible for all costs over the balance of the obligation limit. Advance to Committee and public review with the understanding that the sponsor will make a good-faith effort to address questions and comments. Regional Transportation System (RTS) Team: This project is needed in order to provide the last section to connect the Towpath Trail to Lake Erie and is a project of great regional significance. Plan Forecast Team: This corridor is a regional priority, however the schedule seems ambitious and the funding remains unidentified. Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC): If you are a representative of a governmental entity and would like to comment on this project, please email us. Public Involvement: NOACA encourages comments from the public on this proposed transportation improvement project. Please notify us if you would like to be added to our e-mail notification list for future updates. Committee Review: Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC): This project has great regional significance. It is needed in order to provide one of the last sections to connect the towpath trail to Lake Erie. Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): No comments; recommended for amendment to NOACA's Transportation Plan and TIP.