Repairs are nearly complete to a storm-damaged stream bank next to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail north of downtown Akron.
The temporary repairs mean the Akron Marathon can use the section of trail next to the Little Cuyahoga River on Sept. 28.
Completing the emergency repairs and getting the trail stabilized in time for the marathon were a top priority, city spokesman Jim Weber said.
Officials are unsure what steps will be taken in the long run to correct the erosion problem.
Any permanent corrective steps are unlikely to be implemented until after the marathon.
After the July 10 thunderstorms, the popular trail was threatened by the stream’s floodwaters. A chunk of the bank washed into the raging floodwaters about a half mile north of the historic Mustill Store off West North Street and south of Memorial Parkway.
The trail was not underwater but the section of the bank disappeared right to the edge of the trail and was washed away, Weber said.
The washed-out section of bank is about 250 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet high, he said.
“It was a substantial area that failed, a big section of bank that is now missing,” he said.
It was a drop of 15 feet straight down from the edge of the trail into the stream after the bank disappeared, Akron spokesman Travis Capper added.
This has led the city and Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, to close the trail until emergency repairs could be made.
The stretch of trail is owned by the city of Akron and maintained by the park district, which provides minor maintenance and management.
The city hired the H.M. Miller Construction Co. of Suffield Township to replace and rebuild the missing stream bank.
Work began on Tuesday and was largely wrapped up Friday. The trail is closed to the public during the repair work.
The contractor hauled in more than 3,000 cubic yards of soil, Weber said. That is enough dirt to fill half a football field to a depth of 3 feet.
The dirt was compacted as it was put in place. The area was then seeded with a textile matt and the area was temporarily fenced off. The trail is again open.
The trail itself was largely undamaged, Weber said.
Two old abandoned sewer lines that had anchored the bank in that area also disappeared in the floodwaters, he said.
One was 24 inches in diameter and the other was 36 inches in diameter, he said. They ran to a long-closed city plant off Cuyahoga Street in North Akron.
Those lines provided some concrete that was part of the bank rebuilding efforts.
The city intends to hire an expert to conduct soil borings next week as it begins to determine what the best remedy might be to stop the eroding banks at that spot on the Little Cuyahoga, he said.
Options might include gabion baskets, wire baskets filled with rocks, and a sheet metal or concrete retaining wall, he said.
Installing a rock wall would likely not work because the large flows in the stream, he said.
It is unknown how much such a remedy might cost, he said.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.