What's New

The AMATS Policy Committee rang in the new year by approving more than $25.5­ million in new funding for highway, resurfacing, and bike and pedestrian projects throughout the Greater Akron area.

AMATS is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization serving the Greater Akron area of Portage and Summit counties and a portion of Wayne County.  The agency oversees the federal Resurfacing, the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), and Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) funding programs on behalf of the region.

During its Jan. 25 meeting, the agency’s Policy Committee unanimously approved the slate of projects which will receive funding between now and 2029.  Committee approval ends a comprehensive selection process that began last September when the agency began sifting through 114 applications from project sponsors throughout the Greater Akron area.

The Resurfacing Program will provide more than $15.2 million for 20 resurfacing projects, several of which are sponsored by county engineer’s offices throughout the region.  Portage County will receive $900,000 to resurface a portion of Chamberlain and Mennonite roads in Mantua Township and Summit County will receive nearly $2.3 million for projects on Krumroy Road in Springfield Township.  Wayne County will receive more than $900,000 for a project on Doylestown Road in Chippewa Township.

The latest round of project awards heralds a new era for the Greater Akron area in that they include nearly $8 million for four CRP-funded projects.  Created last year, the CRP Program provides federal funds for projects that emphasize carbon emission reductions while improving traffic flow.  The area’s inaugural CRP-funded projects all include roundabouts.  New roundabouts are to be constructed at the current intersections of Killian and Pickle roads in Springfield Township and Wooster Road and Hopocan Avenue in Barberton.  The remaining two CRP projects entail various corridor improvements in Green and Kent, which include the construction of new roundabouts.

The area’s trail and sidewalk networks will continue to expand as $2.3 million in TASA funds is slated for three projects across the region.  The TASA Program provides funding for projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities that provide transportation alternatives to motor vehicles.  The three projects are Phase IX of the Headwaters Trail in Mantua Township, various pedestrian improvements along Stow Road and Summit Street in Kent, and Phase 3 of the Rubber City Heritage Trail in Akron.

Nearly $3 million in TASA Supplemental funds was requested for six current projects.  The TASA Supplemental Program commits TASA funds to pedestrian and bicycle projects if TASA funds become available.  Various bike, intersection, and pedestrian improvements to North Main Street in Akron, new sidewalks on state Route 91 in Stow, and a new shared-use path and new sidewalks along Arlington Road in Green are some of the projects that could land TASA Supplemental funds in the coming years.