Pedestrian safety still on the line one year after crossing closure
A Marietta resident walks by Ohio 7 traffic entering Interstate 77 in Marietta on Monday, forced to walk in the berm due to the 353-day closure of the River Trail over Duck Creek. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
The retaining wall leading to Duck Creek Bridge on the River Trail was built with concrete slabs compressed between I-beams on the western bank of the creek. Pieces of the wall have collapsed toward the creek below as the landslip has continued to move. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
The retaining wall leading to Duck Creek Bridge on the River Trail was built with concrete slabs compressed between I-beams on the western bank of the creek. Pieces of the wall have collapsed toward the creek below as the landslip has continued to move. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
A Marietta resident walks by Ohio 7 traffic entering Interstate 77 in Marietta on Monday, forced to walk in the berm due to the 353-day closure of the River Trail over Duck Creek. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
The retaining wall leading to Duck Creek Bridge on the River Trail was built with concrete slabs compressed between I-beams on the western bank of the creek. Pieces of the wall have collapsed toward the creek below as the landslip has continued to move. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
The retaining wall leading to Duck Creek Bridge on the River Trail was built with concrete slabs compressed between I-beams on the western bank of the creek. Pieces of the wall have collapsed toward the creek below as the landslip has continued to move. (Photo by Janelle Patterson)
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Next week will mark one year from the official closure of the nine-month-old pedestrian crossing at Duck Creek, following failure of construction and a land slip crushing a sewer line and ripping apart asphalt of the River Trail.
Approximately a half-mile of the trail was officially closed on June 5, 2020, after expenditure of $2,775,652.47 on the construction of the section of trail including federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System's improvement grant ($809,793); the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant ($36,183); two state agencies (Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Clean Ohio Trail Fund and Recreation Trails grants with $191,100 and Ohio Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives grant $1,631,932); and local tax dollars including $42,944.47 from the city streets fund (city income taxes) and a $63,700 loan to the city.
Then-Mayor Joe Matthews said at the October 2019 dedication that the new 132-foot pedestrian bridge would allow for safe passage of cyclists and walkers "from one side of I-77 to the other along the scenic banks of the Ohio River."
"And I inherited that mess," said Mayor Josh Schlicher on Monday.
Schlicher was entering his sixth month in office as mayor when the hill began slipping into the creek, rapidly. That followed years on Marietta City Council as president and formerly an at-large representative.
One year later, those without transportation or reliable access to the Community Action Bus Line still utilize either the crumbling embankment to the Duck Creek bridge, or take on motor traffic over the creek under I-77 on Pike Street.
Schlicher said while work on a formal reroute of sewage is expected to see construction this year, pedestrian safety concerns aren't likely to be addressed on Ohio 7.
"We do have the design done for the lift station instead of rebuilding the crushed sewer that has collapsed," said Schlicher. "Next would be bidding and construction for that. Then once we've gone through all of that we've had several meetings with our legal counsel on how to proceed with pointing fingers going forward at that point and who's at fault. We don't anticipate all of this being resolved anytime soon."
The pass and its hillside failure extends through the city's First Ward, but First Ward Councilman Mike Scales could not be reached for comment.
Schlicher said creation of a temporary crossing for pedestrians over Duck Creek was discussed early on in the failure, but cost and timing to put such a measure in place was not pursued.
"But, you can't put a price on a life and safety, and getting pedestrians off of (Ohio) 7," he said. "Dedicating a walking place in the berm or a refuge area somewhere that's safer to walk we'd have to coordinate with (the Ohio Department of Transportation District 10) and crossing those ramps to the interstate would be challenging, too."