St. Rt. 59 Alternative Transportation Improvements

The current road has two lanes in each direction and a median left turn lane with limited facilities for transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The lack of sidewalks creates a difficult and dangerous environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

PARTA currently maintains bus stops in the project area, with more than 30,000 boardings recorded in 2019. Approximately half of the stops are accessible from a sidewalk, the rest are accessed from the tree lawn. Boarding and exiting the busses is difficult as passengers are dropped off in areas of low accessibility due to a lack of landing pads and curb cuts at the bus stops.

Pedestrians experience similar difficulties. More than half of the area has no sidewalks and there are three signaled intersections; two have some pedestrian crossing signals with painted crosswalks and one has no crossing facilities. 

Bicycle amenities are also lacking. There are no marked bike lanes or paths, and cyclists must ride with traffic with no signage indicating a shared lane.

In this area of retail, dining, and residential uses, it is imperative to make access for all better, safer, and more attractive to those who do not have access to a car. The planned improvements on State Route 59 from Horning Road to State Route 261 include:

• Reconstruct and resurface the road to reduce lane widths, resulting in reduced speeds;
• Extend and widen sidewalks on both sides of the road, including ADA accessible curb ramps, for safe shared use by bicyclists and pedestrians;
• Create additional mid-block crossings with painted crosswalks, ADA accessible curb ramps, pedestrian islands and new crossing beacons and street lighting;
• Improve transit amenities, including ADA accessible bus stops, shelters and connections to nearby destinations; and
• Rebuild each traffic signal and upgrade pedestrian crossings with painted crosswalks and accessible pedestrian signals. A right of way will be needed from two parcels to reconstruct the traffic signal at Ashton Lane. 

Corridor improvements for this section of St. Rt. 59 will connect to the planned improvements for East Main Street and SR 261, creating an expanded bike network. 

During construction a minimum of two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the north half of the road while the south half is built. Once construction is complete on the south half, traffic will be shifted to the south side and the north half will be built. After this is complete, the center pedestrian islands will be constructed.  

A design consultant has been hired and preliminary design work is underway. Environmental studies are ongoing, and no impacts are anticipated at this time. 

Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and take two years to complete. 

The project budget is approximately $7.4 million. As of summer 2025, $4.4 million in funding has been received from ODOT and Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS); additional funding opportunities are being pursued.

The public is invited to submit comments about the project for a 30-day period. The comment period will begin August 6, 2025 and last through September 5, 2025.  Comments received during this period will be compiled, addressed, and posted on the project website.  Any comments should be sent to Jon Giaquinto in the City Engineering Division, at 330-678-8106 or Jon.Giaquinto@KentOhio.gov.

Project Rendering

Connecting Communities Study

PARTA

Franklin Township 

ODOT