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

Oct. 13, 2026

Work is underway on the waterline construction west of Midway Dr. and is expected to continue through this week. Once the waterline work is done, road work will resume between Midway Dr. and Wilson Ave. with the installation of underdrains and aggregate road base, concrete curb, concrete bus pull-off and asphalt pavement.

In a previous update it was mentioned that there would be a traffic switch from the north side to the south side of East Main St., so Kenmore Construction can work on the north side of the street. The traffic switch is tentatively set for Friday, Nov. 11.

The switch will require changes to the construction barrels, signage, pavement markings and traffic signals and the temporary roundabout at Horning Rd. will be moved to align with the new traffic lanes. Signs will be posted in the work area to make motorists aware of the new traffic pattern.

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.

Oct. 2, 2026

If you see fire trucks and firefighters in the area of the East Main St. work area over the next few weeks, don’t be alarmed.

As part of the East Main St. project, the vacant building at 414 East Main St. is scheduled to be razed before the end of the year. Before that occurs, the Kent Fire Department will be using it for training during the month of October. Training will take place primarily between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the possibility of an occasional evening training.

At times during the training a non-toxic theatre smoke will be used and may be visible from small openings in the building. A large Fire Department Training sign will be posted outside the building so that passersby know there is not an actual emergency.

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

Sept. 8, 2026

As you have probably noticed, work has not yet started on lowering an existing waterline on East Main St. The contractor’s pipe crew is finishing up another project and once that is done they will transition back to work on East Main St. When the waterline is completed, crews can finish the remaining concrete curb, pavement, and sidewalk on East Main from Wilson Ave. to Midway Dr.

In the meantime, the concrete crew has been working on sidewalks between Midway Dr. and Horning Rd. and has installed most of the concrete curb for the drop off loop at Kent United Church of Christ. The contractor will also be working on placing the concrete driveway apron and remaining sidewalk at the church.

Another crew has been working on final grading and topsoil installation in areas where the curb and sidewalk is completed. This will continue for several weeks.

The contractor will also be repainting existing crosswalk lines and installing additional in-street “Yield to Pedestrian In Crosswalk” signs on East Main St.

Once the remaining curb, pavement, sidewalk, and topsoil is installed on the south side of East Main, the contractor will be ready to make a traffic shift from the north side to the south side so work can begin on the north side of the road. That switch is expected to happen later this year.

If you’re traveling in the construction area, please remember to slow down, pay attention to the posted signs, and use caution, especially now that school is back in session.

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.