For a while it will undoubtedly be known as “the bike path to nowhere.”

But eventually, a 10-foot-wide, multiuse path being built along the Anthony Wayne Trail will become part of a bike trail that will connect Maumee and downtown Toledo, city officials say.

Contractors are installing the path portion as part of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s $7.1 million reconstruction project for the Anthony Wayne Trail now under way through and between the Trail’s intersections with South and Western avenues. 

The half-mile section parallels the Trail on the west side starting at South and ending just before the Trail crosses the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The city’s share of the cost of the street reconstruction project is $3 million, according to Stacy Weber, spokesman for Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson.

David Dysard, a planning administrator in the city’s Division of Engineering Services, said the path will be a piece of what is called the Riverside Trail. 

The proposed multiuse trail route would extend from Maumee to Cullen Park in Point Place, generally paralleling the river.

“It’s a start. It’s a beginning piece,” he said.

The Riverside Trail is one of 13 proposed or completed bike trails crisscrossing Toledo and connecting major local landmarks and destinations.

The section now being built won’t be of much use to bicycle riders initially, but it will serve the needs of pedestrians in the area. 

Mr. Dysard said people have worn a “cowpath” trail in the grass walking along the Trail between South Toledo neighborhoods east of the trail and the City Park Avenue and Sterling Park neighborhoods on the other side.

“This section has independent utility whether or not the rest of the bike path is put in place. This will create a much safer way for people to walk along the Trail,” he said.

The plan for the completed Riverside Trail crosses the Anthony Wayne Trail twice, at the Toledo Zoo and at City Park Avenue. From City Park, the trail will follow Emerald Avenue into the new Middlegrounds Metropark.

Next year, the city will build another piece of Riverside Trail from Middlegrounds Metropark to Promenade Park.

However, the link from the Anthony Wayne Trail stub won’t connect until at least 2017. That’s when the Trail’s bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad will be replaced, with enough width to accommodate the bike trail.

“We don’t have the funding to build the whole bike plan in one swoop,” he said.

Dave Gedeon, acting vice president of transportation for the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, said the bike path will be extended south to the zoo and all the way to Maumee as funding becomes available.

“The city of Toledo desperately wants to reconstruct the Anthony Wayne Trail, but right now there’s no money to do it,” he said.

The Riverside Trail is part of the 2015 Toledo Bike Plan, which has been introduced for passage by Toledo City Council.

The plan is set for a neighborhood hearing at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24 at Gesu Church to discuss a proposal to convert Bancroft Street from four lanes to three to make room for bike lanes in both directions.

The plan could be brought up for a vote at council’s Dec. 8 meeting, or it could be held for consideration at council’s Zoning and Planning Committee meeting at 4 p.m. Dec. 9, council President Steven Steel said. Having a bike-path plan helps the city apply for construction grants, he said.

Keith Webb, a member of TMACOG’s bike and pedestrian committee, said the multiuse path is a good addition to the infrastructure.

He said transportation bicyclists — those who ride for regular transportation, not just for recreation or exercise — would like to see bike lanes added to Broadway.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published November 16, 2015, 5:00 a.m.