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Dorr Run, Monday Creek Trails will be improved with ODNR funding

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Two recreational trails in Hocking County will be improved with federal funds received through the Recreational Trails Program.

The Dorr Run/U.S. 33 Bypass Project and the Monday Creek OHV Trail System were selected to receive the federal grants, which are reimbursement grants that provide up to 80 percent of the project’s funding.

“When they put the (Nelsonville) bypass in, it cut through the south portion of the Dorr Run Loop,” said Dawn McCarthy, Athens assistant district ranger of operations for the Wayne National Forest.

The Dorr Run Project will reconnect the southern portion of the Dorr Run Loop that was cut off and closed for construction of the Nelsonville Bypass. McCarthy said 2 miles will be added to the loop and 2 miles of trail will be reconstructed.

She said that a culvert also will be installed for ATV use and the trail will go underneath the bypass.

The Monday Creek project includes improvements to the Monday Creek Trail, which connects the Dorr Run Loop that goes all the way to New Straitsville.

The grant will be used for any construction needed on the trail and will construct the easements for 11 trail bridges. The bridges will all need to be replaced with funding from another grant, McCarthy said.

“We are also looking to put up some more signs to be more user friendly,” she said, adding that trails also are frequently used by Hocking College for their heavy equipment classes.

The trails run through Hocking and Perry counties. The Dorr Run project will cost $204,000, and $170,000 is provided by the grant. The Monday Creek project will cost $739,400, and $367,321.44 will be provided by the grant.

McCarthy said the estimated completion date for the projects is in December 2014.

The projects are part of 15 trails statewide that were awarded $2 million by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources last week.

“Trails are an important part of Ohio because they let residents spend time outside enjoying a wide variety of activities,” ODNR Director James Zehringer said in a news release. Maintaining existing trails and adding new ones allow greater recreational opportunities for all Ohioans.”