The relocated Bike & Hike Trail in northern Summit County is nearly done.The final piece, a 300-foot-long bridge, to carry the trail over Interstate 271 is scheduled to be delivered Dec. 1.It will take some time to assemble the trail-only bridge, but it should be in place within a week or so, planner David Whited told commissioners of Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, at their meeting Friday.The $2.6 million project in Sagamore Hills and Northfield Center townships is “99 percent complete” and will improve safety for trail users, Whited said.The project — first proposed nine years ago — will get pedestrians and bicyclists off busy Brandywine Road with its two hills and speeding vehicles.The park district contracted with Akron’s Cavanaugh Building Corp. for the new trail and trailhead. That work cost about $1.5 million.The state awarded a $1.1 million contract to Shelly & Sands Inc. of Zanesville to build the bridge over the highway.The rerouting takes the trail off Brandywine Road for about one mile. It now loops around Brandywine Falls and the Inn at Brandywine Falls, then runs north on the west side of Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills Township to reconnect with the existing route that continues into Cuyahoga County.Whited said the new trail has less than a 5 percent grade.He called the relocation “a fabulous improvement” for people using the 33.5-mile Bike & Hike Trail.The old trail section was considered dangerous, especially for families with small children and for inexperienced bicyclists.Bicyclists and hikers heading north on the old trail were forced to pedal or walk along two-lane Brandywine Road in Northfield Center Township, where traffic moves at 40 mph. There is a steep drop to I-271 and Brandywine Falls, followed by a steep climb as hikers and bikers continued on Brandywine Road to the north.Construction, which began in May, limited access to Brandywine Falls, a popular attraction in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.The project enlarged the parking lot at the waterfall from 30 to 90 vehicles.The parties involved in the project are Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, the National Park Service, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Summit County Engineer Alan Brubaker’s office.In other action, the park commissioners took the first step toward building a new visitor center at Liberty Park in northern Summit County.The 3,500-square-foot facility off Liberty Road in Twinsburg will cost about $2 million. It is scheduled to be completed in early 2013, Whited said.The park district has earmarked $1.25 million for the building and furnishings, $500,000 for site development and utilities, and $250,000 for interpretive exhibits, officials said.The park district intends to negotiate contracts with Braun & Steidl Architects of Akron; Welty Building Co. LLC of Akron, a construction management firm; and the Floyd Browne Group of Akron, a landscape architect firm.Final contracts will be presented to the park commissioners at their December meeting.Construction drawings probably will be complete by August, Whited said.The park district already has built a new access road and parking lot that will be used in conjunction with the visitor center.Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.