The Portage County Engineer’s Office is seeking funding for a $2.88 million project that will both widen the Stow Street bridge in Kent and add a hike and bike lane.
Orange barrels have lined the south side of the bridge for over a year after a routine bridge inspection found potential weakness in a beam under the road deck.
Read our past coverage of the Stow Street bridge inspection
“We are looking to replace two beams on the bridge and along with that put a bike trail on the south portion of the bridge,” county bridge engineer Bill Vermes said.
The plan is to widen the bridge by 2.5 feet to accommodate a bike lane on the south side of the bridge. That lane will benefit bicycle riders on the Portage Hike and Bike Trail as they make their way from Kent’s Tannery Park to Franklin Avenue, and to points east, north and south from there, Vermes said.
At the same time, the lanes dedicated to motor traffic will be reduced from 14 feet to 11 feet, the state minimum, he said. The 25 mph speed limit will remain as it is.
The county engineer is working with the City of Kent to find state and federal funding for the bridge makeover, which is scheduled to start in 2027. The bridge will be closed while construction is ongoing and traffic will be rerouted, Vermes said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.