KENT, Ohio — Construction crews are preparing to overhaul and improve a very busy Kent, Ohio, road, steps away from Kent State University.
In the weeks ahead, crews will begin an extensive renovation project on East Main Street.
They will add two roundabouts as well as various safety upgrades.
Officials say the project is a collaboration between the City of Kent and Kent State University, and it's been in the works for several years.
It will take three years to complete, and the project will be done in phases.
The goal is to improve safety for the long term in what has been deemed a high-crash area.
Residents and students are now preparing for potential delays and impacts as school begins soon.
"It was like yeah, yeah, yeah... Some day (they'll do it). And now you're telling me it's today," Karen Elmo of Kent said.
As Elmo takes her daily walk up and down East Main Street in Kent, reality is beginning to set in about what's to come and for how long the road will be under construction.
"Three years! I don't know. I guess if that's what it takes, I got mixed feelings about it," Elmo said.
Construction crews are planning to upgrade the always busy, high-traffic stretch of road.
East Main Street is home to both Kent State's campus and several popular restaurants and businesses.
The master plan is extensive, but one of the largest talking points amongst residents is the addition of roundabouts.
"Do I love them? No. But they do help sometimes with the flow of traffic," Elmo said.
Crews will add a roundabout on East Main Street right at the busy intersection of South Willow Street and Haymaker Parkway.
A second roundabout will be installed at the Horning Road intersection.
"There'll be a raised median that will basically stretch from roundabout to roundabout. And it'll be broken where we have signalized intersections," Jon Giaquinto, Engineer with the City of Kent Engineering Division, said.
The goal of the more than $25 million project is to make overall improvements to a three-quarter-mile stretch of East Main Street.
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Repaving the road, installing additional crosswalks for pedestrians, improving signage, adding new traffic signals, upgrading lighting and installing fresh landscaping are all part of the master plan.
Giaquinto says walkability, as well as pedestrian and driver safety, are a top priority.
He says it's vital, especially considering the high volume of students who walk along the stretch of road each day to get to class and nearby businesses.
A comprehensive safety analysis led them to the decision to begin work.
He says the goal is to reduce the number of crashes.
"We had roughly 243 accidents that occurred within a three year period on this stretch of road. We're gonna be able to control turns. We saw a lot of left turn crashes. Saw a lot of rear end crashes," Giaquinto said.
Both Elmo and Kent State Architecture student Elise Owen know firsthand about the at times dangerous driving and walking conditions.
"A car came this close to hitting me. So, that was a little bit scary. Kinda changed my route after that," Elmo said.
Traveling the route daily, they view the project as a double-edged sword because of its length and expected completion date.
"It will be inconvenient, but hopefully it'll slow down some of the traffic as well," Owen said.
Giaquinto says he understands folks' concerns, but he stresses East Main Street will never fully close during construction.
In fact, crews will always keep East Main Street open and work on one half of the road at a time, in phases.
"East Main Street will still be open. It'll be a three-lane section so instead of five (lanes) like it is now. We appreciate patience from the community but also are asking for them to be aware of what's going on," Giaquinto said.
Giaquinto says they do not have a firm start date from the contractor on the highly anticipated project.
They are expecting work to begin mid to late August.
Work will start on the eastern half of the project from Luther Avenue to Horning Road.
They will then shift traffic to the north side of the road and work on the south side of the road.
Charging stations will be added in Campus Parking Lots, and bus shelters and trails for walkers and bike riders are also a big part of the project.
If you are looking to avoid the construction, Giaquinto says the alternate route is State Route 42 to 261 to bypass the area.
Construction on East Main Street is expected to take three years and will tentatively be completed by the end of 2028.
