Jane's Walk One

On Friday at Noon I went on the first of 15 Jane's Walks happening in Akron this weekend. This walk was about the city's infrastructure and engineering - led by Renee Whittenberger and Christine Jonke. We learned about some of the things people rarely think about - the underground utilities and drainage, bridges, and the history of it all. As with every neighbor walking tour(Jane's walk and Akron2Akron) I've come away with some interesting facts I never knew about Akron and met a few interesting people I wouldn't have otherwise.

We started in Cascade Plaza.

"Cascade"

"Walking Tour"

Discussing Lock 4 Park which was once a parking deck. It was remove to reveal more of the Canal.

Walking his bike and dog is Freddy who is a biking and biking trail advocate - we had a really interesting conversation along the way. A fellow history nerd who also knows just about everything about biking in the city and beyond.

"Down in Lock 4"

Walking across the Towpath Bridge over Rt. 59. It was explained that the bridge was pre-fabricated then assembled on site to close minimize the road closure time.

"Concrete Facts"

Learning about the engineering challenges of building a road bridge with such a sweeping curve.

"Under the Bridge Downtown"

It was explained that the rust spots on the pavement are from lead in the asphalt. Construction companies put it in to make the asphalt heavier because it is purchased by weight. Even though this shouldn't be done - the marks left behind can be used to determine the direction of the drainage.

Down in Cascade Locks learning about the old train bridges.

In the light blue is Jason Segendy, Director of Transportation Planning for the Akron Metropolitan Area, who always has interesting tidbits about the city.

"Tour Wrap-up"
This is the first in a series of Jane's Walk Posts, as I'm trying to go on as many as I can this weekend.