Olentangy Trail detour through OSU campus extended through summer.

The Olentangy Trail detour through the Ohio State campus that wraps around Ohio Stadium will now stay in effect through next summer as levee work continues along the Olentangy River, part of a $68.1-million project that also includes the relocation of Cannon Drive.

The detour has been in place since May, frustrating many bicyclists and others who use the trail who were worried about hazards along the detour.

The detour was supposed to end by Nov. 30. But Thomas Ekegren, senior project manager for OSU's Office of Facilities Operations and Development, said it needed to be extended to protect those using the trail as the levee work continues.

"It’s a safety thing," Ekegren said.

"It’s a lot of dirt. A lot of earth we’re moving. It will be in the best interest of trail users," he said. Ekegren said he hopes the detour will end by June.

The detour crosses Cannon Drive, and past Lincoln and Morrill towers. It then loops around the south stands of Ohio Stadium, then along the east side of the stadium. After that it crosses Woody Hayes Drive, heading west along Woody Hayes back to the trail.

It also passes busy Route 315 on and off ramps.

The university continues to work on the second phase of its Cannon Drive relocation, rebuilding the road between John Herrick Drive and Woody Hayes Drive and constructing a flood protection levee. OSU says the project will add a 500-year flood protection for campus. The area that will be protected includes the Wexner Medical Center's new 26-story tower scheduled to open in 2026.

The project also includes a new signalized intersection at Cannon and Woody Hayes drives and an expanded park along the river.

Harvey Miller, professor of geography at Ohio State and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at Ohio State, bicycles to campus from his Harrison West home. He said back in March that the detour was the best of five options, but that OSU needed to make cyclists a priority.

This week, Miller said that the detour has worked well, with the university adding pavement markings and signs to help. He said in the summer that the OSU marching band continued to practice in the east parking lot where the detour runs.

"We contacted them. They said always practiced there," Miller said.

He asked Ohio State officials to be open and keep people up-to-date during the rest of construction.

"All parties involved have to be more patient and respectful. It's a major bike trail,"Miller said. "We need to get along for the next six or seven months."

In January, OSU will close the northwest stadium parking lot through summer. The CampusParc website has more information on other parking options.

Cannon Drive north of Herrick Drive remains closed.

Meanwhile, demolition continues on the Drake Performance and Event Center − the Drake Union − which sits along the trail. The well-known building has been a campus landmark since 1972.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Trail detour through OSU campus to last through summer.