From left, Janetta King, Danny De Los Santos, Jessica Keeton, Kevin Wood, Jim Ullman and John Carey break ground on the Beverly Riverfront Trail in October. (File photo)

BEVERLY — A multi-use trail funded with a $1.2 million state grant is expected to be built in Beverly this year.

Ground was broken in October for the Beverly Riverfront Multi-Use Path.

It’s being paid for through the Ohio Department of Development’s Appalachian Community Grant Program and represents a partnership between the Village of Beverly, the Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization and the Buckeye Hills Regional Council, with support from other entities as well.

“Right now it’s going to be a little less than a mile,” said Sam Skinner, president of Beverly-Waterford Growth and Revitalization, also known as B&W Gro. “We hope to make it bigger … but we’ve got to find the money.”

This initial portion of the trail will run from the bridge connecting Beverly and Waterford along the Muskingum River to just past Fort Frye High and Beverly-Center Elementary schools, Skinner said.

Ruhlin Company Project Manager Danny De Los Santos discusses how the company anticipates the construction process will take place. (File photo)

The Ohio-based Ruhlin Company is overseeing the project.

“The bids should go out this month and should be back in February,” said Emma Yeager, development specialist with Buckeye Hills. “And once the weather breaks, they should start.”

Construction must be completed by the end of October under the terms of the grant.

The funds were announced by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2024 as part of the state Development Department’s Ohio’s Wonderful Waterways Initiative. Multiple projects were grouped together under the funding mechanism, which is why the Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization is the lead entity.

Skinner said the path will provide residents with a way to enjoy themselves outside.

Summer wild flowers bloom in August 2024 along the Muskingum River near where the Beverly Riverfront Multi-Use Path will be built later this year. (Photo by Art Smith)

“Bike paths, it’s a fact that they make communities a better place to live,” he said.

Officials at the groundbreaking in October said the trail had been discussed among local groups since 2023.