Ohio lawmakers say it's great news for walkers, runners, cylists, skaters and nature lovers.

The first portion will be in Shadyside.

The $106,000 grant is coming from the Clean Ohio Trail Fund.

Its mission is to improve the quality of life, health and fitness in Ohio.

They'll call this one-mile section the Mead Township Marina Park Trail.

It will be built next spring and they are hopeful that it will open in May.

"We just got that first grant for the Mead Township group," said Ohio Representative John Domenick. "It's a little over $100,000. So we're going to piece that together and eventually work our way up to the riverfront."

"But given our economic circumstances in Ohio, we have to go piece by piece," explains Ohio Senator Jason Wilson. "And with this announcement in Shadyside, we'll have an opportunity to bring in some money to do some improvements to be a part of the bigger picture which will hopefully in the long term create a new corridor for exercise, walking and nature. We also want access to the river."

Project Coordinator Danny Popp says it's actually a $150,000 project.

Popp says the Mead Township Park District will pick up the other $44,000 of the cost.

They eventually plan to create an Ohio River Trail, stretching from Powhatan to Steubenville, and perhaps even connecting with the West Virginia trail, using an existing bridge.