Akron Ohio’s South Main Street Renovation is a sweeping overhaul to the heart of the city, that aims to revitalize the city’s urban core. The work extends along all building fronts, and includes improvements to all sidewalks, roads, and underground utility work, providing a transformation that improves how the community connects with their centers of education, employment, culture, entertainment, and recreation.
PRIME AE planned the multi-phased renovation and reconstruction of the Main Street corridor, with proposed improvements including everything from new roadways, crosswalks and traffic signals to a bidirectional raised cycle track connecting to the nearby Towpath Trail. Significant changes, updates, and new construction of traffic features and structures required a unique maintenance of traffic plan to ensure construction could occur safely and efficiently in the midst of city life.
A significant priority of the renovation has been to develop and implement a maintenance of traffic plan that prioritizes the needs of both pedestrians and vehicles to accommodate access to the businesses located along Main Street. The Main Street corridor is also home to the Cleveland Indians’ AA Minor Baseball Stadium, adding an additional layer of complexity. The holistic plan takes into account the dynamic interplay between traffic, pedestrians, local businesses, and recreation activities. Building upon the success of the initial phase, PRIME AE was subsequently selected to design an additional phase of the South Main Street improvements program. The improvements will create a unified, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing environment that will contribute to the city’s prosperity.
