Photo courtesy of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.

A pair of major upgrades to the Olentangy Trail have been completed, including a connector that enables direct access to and from Bethel Road for the first time.

The second upgrade is a widening of the trail – from 9 to 12 feet – between Bethel Road and Antrim Lake.

The new connector brings users from the trail to a separated path along the north side of Bethel Road, taking them over State Route 315 to Olentangy River Road, where the trail continues to a Central Ohio Transit Authority Park and Ride lot at Anheuser Busch Sports Park.

Columbus Recreation and Parks describes the trail as the busiest in the state, with more than 400,000 users per year. The Bethel Road corridor, according to the city, is home to more than 20,000 residents and employees.

“We’re excited to see the Olentangy Trail Bethel Road connector come to fruition,” said Paul Rakosky, interim director of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, in a statement. “This has been on the wish list for northwest Columbus for many years, and it will be a powerful addition to their active transportation system.”

The alignment of the new connector does require trail users to cross the off-ramp where cars traveling south on 315 merge onto Bethel. A cross walk with user-activated flashing beacons has been installed to let drivers know when someone is crossing the street.