Ohio & Erie Canalway America's Byway Celebrates 10th Birthday With A New Look!
3/9/2010
How does an America’s Byway celebrate its 10th Birthday? In the case of the 110-mile America’s Byway running through the Ohio & Erie Canalway, it’s dressing up a bit for the occasion - with new signs, a new name and new miles for Northeast Ohioans to discover key cultural, recreational and historical sites located throughout the Canalway.
Over the next four weeks, more than 300 Byway signs bearing the new “Ohio & Erie Canalway America’s Byway” name will be installed. The rolling installation begins in Cleveland at the northernmost point of the route and will end at the southernmost point in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
The signage project was made possible with the award of a $400,000 grant from the National Scenic Byways program. “This is an important moment in the evolution of the Ohio & Erie Canalway,” said Tim Donovan, Executive Director of Ohio Canal Corridor - one of two grass roots organizations dedicated to building and supporting the working landscapes of the Canalway.
“The signage completes the rebranding of the route to match the name of the National Heritage Area the Byway travels through - the Ohio & Erie Canalway.” Donovan’s statements were made at a ceremonial “First Sign” installation held March 2nd along the Byway at the corner of West 25th and the Detroit Superior Bridge. Donovan, who headed this Ohio & Erie Canalway project added, “The story of the sign change also is one of regionalism at its best.
County Engineers from each of the four counties located in the Canalway - Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas - have worked together on the project since its inception.” Cuyahoga County Engineer, Robert C. Klaiber Jr., P. E., P. S. , who joined Donovan in the ceremonial “First Sign” installation, served as team leader of the four county engineer team. Klaiber explained, “This signage project gave the Ohio & Erie Canalway and four-county engineer team the opportunity to revisit the Byway route to better accommodate visitors by making changes to the route for the first time since it was designated as a National Byway 10 years ago.”
2010 Key Route changes include:
Cuyahoga County - There has been a permanent route change to reflect the closing of two bridges - Rockefeller Avenue & Eagle Viaduct. With a unanimous vote, a path worked out with the City of Cleveland Planning Commission was accepted.The new route passes through Cleveland’s Public Square, provides a direct link with the Coastal Ohio National Scenic Byway and intersects with the Historic Warehouse District - Cleveland’s business district during the canal era. The route will again conclude at the proposed Canal Basin park - located at the point where the Ohio & Erie Canal entered the Cuyahoga River.
Stark and Tuscarawas Counties - To fulfill the goal of providing a “well-defined and desirable route for vehicular access to all points of interest along the National Heritage Corridor” a new leg of the Byway connects the city of Massillon to Canton using a route along the 12th Street corridor. A route extension takes the Byway the full length of the National Heritage Area to New Philadelphia, Ohio and concludes at Schoenbrunn Village, the southernmost anchor for both the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area and America’s Byway.
About the Ohio & Erie Canalway - The Ohio & Erie Canalway is a National Heritage Area - designated by Congress - to help preserve and celebrate the rails, trails, landscapes, towns and sites that grew up along the first 110 miles of the canal that helped Ohio and our nation grow.
About the National Scenic Byways Program - The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. America's Byways® is a distinctive collection of American roads, their stories and treasured places.