CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — Local and state officials gathered in Cambridge July 15 for a ceremonial groundbreaking for The Great Guernsey Trail extension and Turner Avenue Trailhead project. The project’s primary funding is the Appalachian Community Grant Program. Governor Mike DeWine announced the initiative in 2023, which would invest $500 million in Ohio’s Appalachian counties to help fund transformational projects. The City of Cambridge, Guernsey County Community Development Corporation, and Guernsey County Port Authority provided local financial support for the project. The project was included in a regional grant application submitted by the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA).
The project will extend The Great Guernsey Trail approximately three miles from Corduroy Road into downtown Cambridge, ending at a new parking lot and trailhead at the corner of Turner Avenue and Southgate Parkway. Shelly and Sands will begin the work this year with completion scheduled in summer 2026.
Following Governor DeWine’s announcement, the Cambridge-Guernsey Community Improvement Corporation assembled a steering committee to review projects for potential inclusion into the grant application. After months of work, vetting more than 20 project, the steering committee selected four Guernsey County projects, including The Great Guernsey Trail extension/Turner Avenue, to be included in OMEGA’s 10-county regional application to the state. More than $2.3 billion in funding requests were submitted to the state on behalf of Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties for the $500 million in available funding.