NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Nov. 12, 2024) – Mayor Joel Day is thanking drivers for their patience dealing with traffic issues on East High Avenue that should soon be ending.
There’s been heavy traffic and delays at times where crews have been paving as part of the ongoing bike lane project in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation connecting downtown to Kent State Tuscarawas.
“When finished, bicyclists will have safer, designated pathways on both sides of the street to ride to and from the campus area. And the centerline down East High Avenue will actually be in the center of the road. The city had no control over the timing of the construction period. That was all dependent upon the contractor’s schedules,” Day reported to City Council Monday night.
Day says the contractor hopes to have that finished this week.
“The KSU-Tusc Connector Trail will be the first project to be completed in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity Plan, which encourages more outdoor exercise,” Day said.
He says up next will be construction of the first leg of the bicycle and walking trail to Roswell along the old railroad right of way that the city owns connecting to the village in 2025.
Day says a federal Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grant is paying for that work.