East Main Street Project

The City of Kent along with its partners - the project's Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), Kent State University, PARTA (Portage Area Regional Transport Authority), AMATS (Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study) and ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) - are undertaking a $25.5 million rehabilitation of a three-quarter mile portion of East Main Street.

The project focuses on East Main, between Willow Street and Horning Road intersections, along with neighborhoods to the north and KSU to the south.

PROJECT UPDATES

The most recent updates are listed below. View the archive of all updates here

June 25, 2026

As crews continue to work on the East Main St. project, part of Horning Rd. has reopened. The road is now accessible from the Loop Rd. side, with motorists able to get to the driveways on Horning. This includes the Newman Center and one of the back drives of the Kent United Church of Christ. Use caution when accessing the driveways as asphalt work continues in this area.

Horning Rd. remains closed at Theater Dr. and Midway Dr. remains closed between East Main St. and Terrace Dr.

If you’re traveling in the construction area, please remember to slow down, pay attention to the posted signs, and use caution.

Questions about the East Main Street project can be directed to Jon Giaquinto in the City Engineering Division at Jon.Giaquinto@KentOhio.gov or 330-678-8106. You can also send your email address to Giaquinto if you would like to receive email updates.

May 26, 2026

Work continues on the East Main St. project, with some upcoming road closures impacting travel through the Kent State University campus. Within the next two weeks Midway Dr. will be closed between Main St. and Terrace Dr. for approximately 10 weeks. Detour routes will be posted, and you can view those routes here.

Also on the Kent State Campus, Horning Rd. continues to be closed between Theatre Dr. and Loop Rd. through approximately mid-June.

If you’re traveling East Main St. in the construction area, please remember to slow down, pay attention to the posted signs, and use caution.

May 6, 2026

Storm sewer work is underway on Horning Rd., beginning at Loop Rd. and proceeding up the hill to Theatre Dr., with new storm sewer and catch basins. This work is expected to take several weeks to complete.

Crews have also started to rebuild the stone retaining wall in front of the Williamson House on the Kent State campus. The concrete foundation has been poured and foundation drains have been installed. As weather permits you should start to see the wall appear over the next couple of weeks.

Concrete curb is also on the schedule to be poured along the eastern part of the project in front of the Kent United Church of Christ. This will begin to define the east leg of the new roundabout that will be built at Horning Rd. and East Main St.

The gas line work has stopped for the time being, until the arrival of some necessary parts. There is one service line to be completed, some existing pipe to be removed, and then restoration of the pavement cuts, sidewalks, driveways, and grass areas.

If you’re traveling East Main St. in the construction area, please remember to slow down, pay attention to the posted signs, and use caution.

Goals of the Project

The goal is to provide an aesthetically pleasing, stately, less cluttered stress-free gateway into Kent that meets the current demands of East Main Street's users.

Working with the East Main Street Citizen's Advisory Committee, the project team established these goals:

Jointly improve safety and aesthetics for all users
Balance vehicular congestion with improvements to other modes of transportation
Enhance adjacent neighborhoods
Integrate with Kent State University's Gateway Master Plan
Provide reasonable access to adjacent properties and side streets

Project Timing

Road design for the East Main Street project was completed in early 2025. A contractor has been awarded, and construction should begin in late summer/early fall 2025. Construction is estimated to last three years, with traffic being maintained for the duration.

Public Comments

A public comment period was held in 2021 for the planning phase of the East Main Street project. Download a summary of the comments for your review. Future questions or comments can be sent to Jon Giaquinto in the City Engineering Division at Jon.Giaquinto@KentOhio.gov or 330-678-8106.

If you would like to receive email updates on the project, please send your email address to Giaquinto at Jon.Giaquinto@KentOhio.gov.

East Main Street's History

East Main Street is one of the oldest streets in the city. It has gone through several major changes throughout Kent’s history. On maps from 1874, East Main Street was a rural roadway that provided connections to Ravenna with large tracts of land adjacent to the corridor. In images from 1919, East Main Street shows the beginnings of a modern street with sidewalks lining both sides, large stately homes with generous lawns lining the north side and Kent Normal College with a large park like setting on the south side.

Currently, East Main Street is a hectic five lane road with automobile-oriented commercial establishments along most of the northern side and KSU along the southern side. Multi-modal accommodations are limited along the corridor, as it is dominated by vehicular traffic. However, there are significant pedestrian, bicycle and transit demands along the corridor.

Proposed Improvements

The proposed improvements to East Main Street from Willow Street to Horning Road include:

An expanded tree-lined center boulevard with fewer left turns
Wider sidewalks and tree lawn on north side of the street
Enhanced and higher visibility crosswalks for pedestrians and bikes
Decorative streetlights added along the length of the roadway
Shared path for bikes and pedestrians created on the south side of the street
Two roundabouts added; one at the intersection of South Willow St., East Main St. and Haymaker Parkway, and the other at the Horning Road intersection
New bus pull-offs and shelters installed along the corridor
Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations for public use; installed in four Kent State parking lots along the north side of campus adjacent to East Main Street.

Enhanced Safety

The East Main Street Improvement Project is similar to the large-scale improvements made to Summit Street. That project, completed in 2018, included a tree-lined boulevard with two roundabouts designed to reduce traffic congestion and crashes in the highly traveled stretch of road.

Data shows that the number of crashes on Summit Street has decreased significantly over the last six years. Specifically, since the project was completed, there has been a:

59% reduction in the overall crash rate
33% reduction in overall pedestrian crash rate
100% reduction in the injury crash rate and a 50% reduction in the overall crash rate at the Ted Boyd roundabout
84% reduction in the injury crash rate and 73% reduction in overall crash rate at the West Campus Center roundabout
53% reduction in pedestrian crash rate at the Ted Boyd and West Campus Center roundabouts

Renderings and Study Information

Area Map	Area map with roundabouts	Mid-Block Crosswalks	Roundabout Benefits	Views by Segment
Decision Matrix	Neighborhood Improvements	Traffic Capacity Analysis	Bike Master Plan	Environmental Resources

RAISE Resources

The City of Kent, in partnership with Kent State University and the Portage Area Regional Transit Authority, has received a $5.25 million RAISE grant for the Reimagining the Gateway East Main Street Corridor project.

Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) is part of the federal government’s investment in infrastructure across the United States. The East Main Street project was one of 162 programs to receive funding.

Reimagining the Gateway will make significant multi-modal improvements to a nearly one-mile, car-centric section of East Main Street that includes the university, entrances to nearby neighborhoods and many commercial destinations.

Part of the RAISE grant funds will be used to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for public use. The stations will be located in four Kent State parking lots on the north side of campus adjacent to East Main Street.

In announcing the award, the U.S. Transportation Department noted that project is strong in safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, and partnership and collaboration.

Letters of support for the grant application came from various federal, state and local officials, including U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance of Ohio, Congressman David Joyce, Kent State President Todd Diacon, Portage County Commissioners, the Portage County Engineer, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.