AKRON, Ohio – The city of Akron this week is starting to lay down asphalt on about 54 miles of crumbling city streets.

Akron City Council voted Monday night to approve the 2019 resurfacing program which begins this week in Ward 8 and will be followed by Ward 1, 2, 10, 6, 5, 7, 9, 4 and 3, Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a news release.

This year’s resurfacing program is budgeted at $7 million, including $4.15 million in funding through Issue 4, the increase in the city income tax from 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent. Voters approved the increase in 2017 for police, fire and roadway investments. Issue 4 funding accounts for the resurfacing of about 37 of the 54 miles of streets.

The city rates the condition of each street and paves the “worst first,” taking into consideration traffic conditions and clustering streets together to minimize mobilization costs and maximize efficiency. Resurfacing funds are distributed as “evenly as possible” across Akron’s 10 wards, the city said in a news release.

Paving is expected to continue for about six months.

“While progress on our roads will not happen overnight and construction causes temporary inconvenience, we are making significant headway in finally addressing streets that have been neglected for far too long,” Horrigan said in a statement.

A list of streets slated for resurfacing, including alternate routes, is available here. A map that shows those streets, along with streets paved since 2013, is available here.

Akron paved 54.4 miles of city roads in 2018.

The city will post signs on each street several days before crews begin work. Updates about the program will be posted to Akron’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and residents with specific questions are encouraged to call the city’s 3-1-1 line.

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