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The talk around town is correct, at least on this one item: the Ohio River Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists won't be open by June 1, or probably any time in June.
The new anticipated timeline is "no later than mid-July," Marietta City Engineer Bob Heady said at Monday night's meeting of Marietta City Council's Finance Committee.
Heady did not provide details on what is causing the delay.
"There are difficulties in construction," he said. "The city wants this fixed just as much as everyone else does and we're trying very hard to do that."
The repair project, formally labeled the Ohio River Trail Phase V - Soldier Pile Retaining Wall Failure and Bike Trail Slip Repair, is sometimes called the Duck Creek Trail or the Marietta Trail. And some council members simply call it The Money Pit.
The trail opened in late October, 2019. The collapse, which occurred in June 2020, also crushed a sewer line that had to be repaired first. The slip repair work was due to start in early October 2022. The cost then for the Alan Stone contract was $1,470,000. The city engineer's office Tuesday listed Change Order No. 1 adding an additional $217,000, for a total of $1,687,000 to date.
A construction work loan for $2,090,560 was obtained from the Ohio Department of Transportation's State Infrastructure Bank revolving loan fund.
When open, the Ohio River Trail is not only enjoyed by bicyclists but is an important, safer access for people who otherwise would be trying to navigate the Ohio 7 and I-77 area on foot.