MANSFIELD, Ohio — After more than a year of construction, downtown Mansfield is starting to look more like the finished product city leaders and business owners have been waiting for.
The $20.3 million Main Street improvement project began in March 2025 and is now about 83% complete.
The project includes converting Main Street to two-way traffic, updating the downtown streetscape and replacing aging infrastructure.
Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield Inc., said it's exciting to finally see the plans come to life.
"We're starting to see all the plans that were on paper come to life. We want to leave a good legacy for our children and for the community. We believe that Mansfield is a place where people are proud to be from, and we want to see that investment going forward," Kime said.
A major part of the project has involved replacing water and utility infrastructure. In 2023, News 5 reported on water and sewer crews repairing pipes that affected more than 200 streets in Mansfield.
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While the improvements are expected to have a long-term impact, the construction has been difficult for some downtown businesses.
Nicole Hamilton, owner of Hamilton on Main, said there was a period when customers couldn't even drive past her business.
"We went maybe 11 months where nobody could even drive past my business," Hamilton said.
The city ended up closing more streets than initially expected, making access more difficult for some businesses during construction.
To help, the city approved a $50,000 small-business grant program, with grants distributed in $2,500 increments to local businesses.
"It's been tough for the business community for sure," Kime said. "We appreciate their resilience through all of it, and we're looking forward to having all the open access available."
What's next for downtown Mansfield?
The city expects to complete the construction project by Oct. 31.
Crews are also working on the plaza development in Central Park, where new fountains and seating areas are taking shape.
For business owners, those finishing touches are a welcome sight after months of construction.
Hamilton said she's looking forward to seeing the new flowers and sidewalks and being able to walk from one downtown business to the next.
But the development in downtown Mansfield won't stop when the current project is finished.
A local family, which does not wish to be named, donated 14 downtown buildings to the Richland County Foundation. Plans call for new housing and businesses in those buildings, bringing more people to live and spend time downtown.
For local business owners, having more people living downtown could be an important part of creating a thriving business community.
"We need people living down here, we need an ecosystem and a thriving downtown," said Braxton Daniels, owner of 101 Tea Company.
The city is also planning a wrap-up party to celebrate the project's completion. Details are expected soon.
In the meantime, drivers should still expect some short daytime lane closures and traffic shifts as crews finish the work, generally between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Downtown businesses remain open and accessible.
Maya Lockett is the Erie, Huron and Richland counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @MayaLockett, on Facebook MayaLockettWEWS or email her at Maya.Lockett@wews.com.
