CUYAHOGA FALLS — Phase one of a project to reconstruct an approximate 1-mile stretch of Howe Avenue will begin the last week of April, according to Ohio Department of Transportation officials.

Justin Chesnic, public information officer for ODOT, announced the start week for the $5.9 million project Thursday following a pre-construction session with the contractor and city officials. Akron-based Kenmore Construction will be replacing the current concrete material with asphalt, according to Chesnic.

Details of the project can be found at www.howeavenue.com.

Phase one, which will start April 26, will close Howe Avenue between Route 8 and Main Street for about 35 days. The northbound ramp from Route 8 to Howe will be closed during that period of time. Motorists traveling northbound on Route 8 to eastbound Howe would need to exit at Tallmadge Avenue. Southbound Route 8 drivers to eastbound Howe will be detoured to Tallmadge Avenue. Meanwhile, the southbound Route 8 exit will remain open for westbound Howe /Cuyahoga Falls Avenue traffic.

For the second phase, which starts in early June 2019, work will begin on Howe from Main Street to Buchholzer Boulevard in the eastbound lanes. Eastbound traffic will be detoured from Home to Independence Avenue and then to Buchholzer. The construction will continue through fall 2019, be suspended for the winter months and then resume in spring of 2020. All lanes will be open for through traffic during the winter months, according to the city’s website.

The third phase will start in spring 2020, with the westbound lanes of Howe between Main and Buchholzer being rebuilt. Westbound traffic will be maintained on the eastbound side of Howe, while eastbound traffic will again detoured from Home to Independence to Buchholzer. The project is expected to be finished in late fall 2020.

Chesnic said the city of Cuyahoga Falls is paying $1.2 million for the project, while the remaining funding will come from ODOT and the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS). Chesnic added he did not have a breakdown of how much money would be provided by ODOT and AMATS.