New Sandusky Bay Pathway segment opens as regional coalition launches

A new stretch of the Sandusky Bay Pathway, including a bridge over Pipe Creek, opened July 9 with a ribbon-cutting attended by regional leaders and Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

The segment runs from Cedar Point Drive to Hemminger Ditch, west of the site of the future Landing park. It cost $2.2 million, paid for by a 2022 U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant for the U.S. Route 6 Connectivity Corridor Project.

A coalition for the whole shoreline

The event also launched the Sandusky Bay Pathway Coalition, which aims to link communities along Sandusky Bay and the Lake Erie shoreline with more than 100 miles of shared-use paths. Partners include the City of Sandusky, the Greater Sandusky Partnership, Cedar Point and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The idea dates to 2006. Earlier segments run along Shoreline Drive, Venice Road, Meigs Street and East Water Street. A stretch between Mills Street and Lions Park is funded for construction in 2027, and ODOT will build a companion trail east to Rye Beach Road in Huron.

City Manager John Orzech called it another major step toward a pathway that connects neighborhoods.

Source: City of Sandusky announcement