Fencing at New Bike Trail Bridge is Permanent

Kent residents eagerly await the official opening of the new pedestrian bridge adjacent to the Fairchild Avenue Bridge.

While they wait, some trail enthusiasts are asking why there's no link to the new bridge from the east side of the Cuyahoga River near the intersection of Crain Avenue, Lake and North Water streets.

In October 2012 Kent Patch explained why there is no connection to the trail and users are instead forced to cross the new Fairchild Avenue Bridge to access the new pedestrian bridge, which links to The Portage Hike and Bike Trail heading east towards Beckwith Orchards.

In short, the Akron-Barberton Cluster Railway would not permit another at-grade crossing of the railroad tracks.

So, essentially for now users of the trail are barred from directly accessing the trail from the Lake Street area or from leaving the trail to access that area of the city without first using the new pedestrian bridge to cross the river and then crossing back over via the new Fairchild Avenue Bridge.