AKRON, Ohio - In keeping with Akron's ongoing efforts to draw people into downtown to live and work, Main Street will be getting a $31 million facelift.

Over the next two years, the Main Street Corridor project will result in new street paving, sidewalks, utilities, signs and traffic signals, in addition to new bus lanes and bike tracks.

A roundabout will be installed at Main and Mill streets and the State Street bridge will be completely rebuilt. Greenery and benches will be added throughout.

City officials hope the transformation of King James Way, the section of Main Street running through the heart of downtown from Perkins Street/Route 59 to Cedar Street, will spur reinvestment, fill in downtown storefronts and attract mixed-use development.

During the project, the city will partner with Downtown Akron Partnership to host community meetings and activities to gather input from residents.

The city expects the project to:

increase access to education, jobs and opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.

offer a welcoming gateway to downtown.

enhance accessibility while increasing safety and improving public health

increase energy efficiency through green infrastructure.

boost transportation efficiency.

become a model for regional collaboration and strategic investment.

"While construction on this scale is always an inconvenience, the end result will be a connected, dynamic, beautiful and modern Main Street designed to welcome and serve Akron's businesses, citizens and visitors," Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a news release. "Once completed, the revitalized Downtown Promenade will breathe new life into our urban core, attract new investment to our city, revitalize our public spaces, and better link the amenities on Main Street to adjacent downtown neighborhoods."

To help pay for the work, the city received two Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants -- $5 million in 2016 and $8 million this year. Akron also was awarded $7.5 million in federal bridge funds in 2017 for the State Street bridge.

Through a bidding process, the city selected Kenmore Construction and Prime AE Group, which started the first phase of the project earlier this month.

During the first phase, improvements will be made from Cedar to Mill streets, starting with new traffic signals, utility work and temporary paving to move traffic around the construction. Installation of the permanent road will begin in September.

The second phase will extend the improvements from Mill to Perkins streets.

The city plans to host an official groundbreaking in September. For updates on the Main Street Corridor project, visit the city's Drive Akron website.

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