Rep. Sykes Announces More Than $21 Million for Street Safety in Summit County
AKRON, OH – Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded two Safe Streets and Roads for All grants totaling $21,320,094 to the Cities of Akron and Fairlawn. The grants will support safer roads, intersections, pedestrian crossings, and streets throughout our communities.
“I’m excited to announce this funding, which will make our roads safer for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. As a proud member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’ll continue working to bring more of these essential funds back to Northeast Ohio,” said Rep. Sykes.
The City of Fairlawn will receive $20,856,094 to design and construct safety upgrades along the 3.5-mile West Market Street corridor from Heritage Woods Drive to North Revere Road. The project includes a roundabout at Smith Road; pedestrian refuge islands between Cleveland-Massillon Road and South Smith Road; high-visibility crosswalks and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, corridor lighting, and walkway improvements; access management with 8–12 driveway consolidations and right-in/right-out at Flight Memorial Drive; bus pull-offs; and extended left-turn lanes.
“This is going to make a tremendous positive impact to our city. Our administration has always put safety at the forefront of everything we do and this grant is going to enable us to make Fairlawn one of the safest cities for pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and riders in the entire state and in the entire country. Fairlawn is essentially going to be a model for every other city in Ohio when it comes to creating a safe environment and in maximizing traffic throughput.” said City of Fairlawn Mayor Russell T. Sharnsky.
The City of Akron will receive $464,000 to conduct supplemental planning activities to develop corridor-level safety plans for six corridors identified in the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study Action Plan. Deliverables include data collection, safety analysis, stakeholder engagement, and ADA-accessible feasibility studies recommending Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasures to inform future implementation.
“The City of Akron is excited to continue its partnership with Congresswoman Emilia Sykes’ office with the recent award for Safe Streets for All to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in our city. This grant will allow us to conduct supplemental planning studies to support a citywide approach to improve safety in certain high accident corridors,” said City of Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.