ASHLAND — One of Ashland’s busiest roads is slated for multi-use paths thanks to a grant incoming from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The grant, worth $1.6 million for Ashland, represents one of several covering 27 traffic safety projects in 21 counties, according to a press release issued from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
“Whether you walk, bike, ride, or drive, we owe it to everyone to make transportation in our state as safe and efficient as possible,” DeWine said in a prepared statement. “These projects are engineered to keep everyone safe.”
In Ashland, the money will be used to build a mile of sidewalks on either side of U.S. Route 250, between Sugarbush Drive and County Road 1575. The section is about one mile in length.
On the north side of the road, the sidewalk is expected to be six feet wide. The south side will get a 11-foot wide “shared use path,” according to information provided by ODOT.
‘This is big’
The project is slated for a 2026 start date.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller hadn’t heard of the grant announcement, but he was excited to learn about it.
“It’s exciting — this is big,” he said.
The grant requires a 10% local match — but Miller said the city will have most of that covered already through another grant received in 2023. That grant is worth $150,000, he said, and it was secured by his wife, state Rep. Melanie Miller.
“It’s so important,” he said of the paths along U.S. 250. He said the residents at the apartments out that way have been clamoring for a sidewalk. “It’s hard for them to navigate the busy traffic situation out there on foot safely.”
The project will include installing two signalized crosswalks, Miller said.
Since the improvement will be within the city’s limits, Ashland will be in charge of maintenance.
ODOT data on “roadway departure crashes” showed 615 fatalities in 2023. Pedestrian-involved crashes resulted in 150 deaths across Ohio last year, the agency stated.
“Our mission is to provide a transportation system that is safe, accessible, well maintained, and positioned for the future. However, safety shouldn’t be limited only to certain road types or locations,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks in a prepared statement.