Part of Akron Innerbelt To Be Demolished in 2016

[thenetwork]

Akron officials have decided to eliminate the oldest portion of the underused Akron Innerbelt (OH-59) in 2016.  Roughly much of the main carriageway between West Exchange and West Market Streets will be torn out with thru traffic being diverted to the current frontage roads which will also be rebuilt & extended to link up with the existing Perkins Street, a.k.a MLK Boulevard, at Market Street (OH-18). 

The "newer" section of OH-59 between Exchange and I-76/I-77 will remain as a limited access freeway.

Additional details and Press Release, including a map of the affected area are here:

http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2014/12/plan_to_demolish_part_of_akron.html

[Chris]

The AADT on that stretch is only 12,800.


http://www.amatsplanning.org/traffic-count-data/

[seicer]

And http://downtownakron.com/newsitem/upcoming-project-information-sum-sr-59-akron-innerbelt. Good riddens.

[JREwing78]

If ODOT had completed the connection to SR 8, this would be a stupid idea.

However, they didn't, so the freeway is kind of pointless. No reason to keep dumping money into it.

[seicer]

Even if ODOT had completed it, which would have tore through another emerging neighborhood that's only just now being redeveloped, what point would it have been since I-76/77 to OH 8 isn't exactly gridlocked.