Construction Start Date     April  2012         Project Finish                     October 2012                                                                     

The proposed project consists of the construction of a paved hike and bike trail, with a project length of approximately 0.3-mile.  The trail will begin on the east side of State Route (SR) 59 near the proposed Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) multimodal facility on Erie Street, and terminate at the existing Portage/Kent State University Esplanade at South Lincoln Street.  The trail will vary in width similar to other sections on the campus of Kent State University.

The purpose of the proposed transportation improvement is to complete a link in the Portage Hike and Bike Trail (The Portage), which will connect the Western Reserve Greenway to the Ohio and Erie Canal corridors.  Specifically, the  Master Plan for The Portage includes a non-motorized, un-interrupted east-west link for the movement of people between the City of Kent, the City of Ravenna, and the Kent State University (KSU) campus to the 32-mile long Metro Parks serving Summit County's Bike and Hike Trail, creating an extensive network of neighborhood trail links in northeast Ohio.     

Currently, an existing segment of the trail terminates at the KSU campus.  As a result, there is no physical connection from the trail and university to downtown Kent.  The proposed transportation improvement will provide this physical connection and enhance the non-motorized regional transportation network by completing one of the key segments of The Portage.

Additionally, the proposed transportation improvement will support the City of Kent’s long-range transportation and land use plans.  Specifically, the City of Kent, in their 2004 Bicentennial Plan, recognized that increased coordination of future transportation and land use planning would be vital for the integration of facilities and services among the residents and businesses in downtown Kent, the KSU community, and surrounding communities.

Subsequently, in 2008, KSU commissioned a study, with the City of Kent and the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) as key stakeholders, to evaluate the feasibility of creating a multimodal facility in downtown Kent that would emphasize taking public transportation, bicycling, and walking as convenient and enjoyable modes of transportation.  In addition to the multimodal facility, the study also identified a need to provide a physical connection between the new facility and KSU.   Therefore, the proposed transportation improvement will also satisfy the City of Kent’s goal to integrate facilities and services among the residents and businesses in downtown Kent, the KSU community, and surrounding communities.  The PARTA multimodal facility was approved by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as a Categorical Exclusion on April 20, 2010 following a review of environmental documents for the project.

 In summary, the purpose of the proposed transportation improvement is to complete a link in the Portage Hike and Bike Trail, which will provide a physical connection between the City of Kent and the KSU campus.  By completing this link, the proposed transportation improvement will contribute to meeting the long-range non-motorized transportation goals of both the Portage Hike and Bike Trail and the City of Kent.

 

Contact:  Rhonda Boyd, P.E., P.S Senior Engineer Phone: 330-678-8106 Email: boyd@kent-ohio.org

City of Kent Department of Public Service Division of Engineering