SAVANNAH — Walking to Savannah’s only grocery store will get safer thanks to a state grant the village is in line to receive.
The Ohio Department of Transportation recently announced its intention to award Savannah $1.5 million through the Transportation Alternatives Program.
“The Transportation Alternatives Program makes vital investments to support safer, more connected spaces for walking and biking,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “This program helps improve quality of life, enhance public safety, and build sustainable transportation networks that make our cities and towns stronger and more vibrant.”
Savannah’s grant represents one out of 44 projects supported by TAP, for a total of $52 million across the state.
Funds will cover costs related to installing around 1,100 feet of sidewalk and a pedestrian bridge along U.S. Route 250. It will be on the west side of the road.
The village installed sidewalks last year through the use of Community Development Block Grant funds, but this project’s scope was too big for the $135,000 grant, said Bruce Richards, the village’s administrator.
Unsafe route to Dollar General
“There was just no way we could put a sidewalk in down to (Dollar General),” Richards said. “And it’s the only grocery store that residents can walk to from within the village. But to do it, they have to walk along U.S. Route 250.”
Dollar General sits on approximately two acres on the west side of U.S. Route 250, a popular semi-truck route between Richmond, Virginia and Sandusky, Ohio.
“You have semis going 50 miles an hour on that road,” Richards said. “It’s an unsafe situation.”
Part of the five-foot wide sidewalk will include a pedestrian bridge that goes over a creek that feeds into Vermilion River.
Richards said the money will be available by fiscal year 2028, which starts in July 2027. He’s unsure when the project’s construction will begin.
The grant project from ODOT covers 100% of the construction, but the village will be on the hook for 20% of the engineering firm’s design. According to a cost estimate produced by Kleinfelder, the engineering design will cost around $200,000.
That means Savannah will be responsible for paying roughly $40,000, Richards said.