AKRON, Ohio -- The rushing mass of traffic up and down West Cedar and West Exchange streets, among the most accident-prone thoroughfares in the city, is about to become downsized.

In an $8.5 million "right-sized roads" project will replace West Exchange from Broadway to Portage Path with four wide lanes, complete with wider sidewalks, redesigned intersections and bike lanes. West Cedar, which handles one-way traffic downtown, will also get a revamp.

The choice of streets wasn't random. From 2010-12 the stretch of road played host to 585 accidents, about half of which were side swipes, WKYC reported. Each intersection was studied to determine features that could reduce accidents, including new dedicated turning lanes and extended sidewalks to shorten the distance of pedestrian crossings, according to city engineer Mike Teodecki.

Construction to transform the roads will begin in 2016 and is expected to take about a year. The changes will also include new high-tech traffic signals timed to keep traffic flowing, Teodecki said.

See the layout diagrams for the new roads below, or click here to view on mobile.

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