State Route 261 is a disaster, but when will Kent fix its ‘highway to nowhere’?

State Route 261 in Kent. Image via Google

State Route 261 in Kent and Franklin Township was constructed in the 1960s to be part of a larger freeway system that was never built. Now, the “highway to nowhere,” as some locals call it, is a physical barrier between downtown Kent to the north and residents living to the south.

Motor vehicle accidents are common where 261 intersects with state Route 43, Franklin Avenue, Mogadore Road, Cherry Street, Campus Center Drive and state Route 59.

AMATS, the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study, looked at the problem in 2019 and confirmed what locals already knew: “a four-lane divided roadway is unnecessary to serve the long-term needs of the area, and a reduced two-lane facility will be sufficient.”

AMATS also concluded that roundabouts would reduce accidents at 261 and Mogadore Road, Franklin Avenue/Sunnybrook Road, and Campus Center Drive. The traffic lights at 261 and 43 and Summit Street would remain in place due to heavier traffic volume, the study concluded.

Reducing state Route 261 to two lanes would increase walkability and improve pedestrian safety, the study found. Capitalizing on the highway’s already-established right of way, multi-use paths and trails could improve access to nearby areas and allow for new connections into adjacent areas.

Having solicited feedback from interested residents, AMATS researchers concluded that people would support rezoning the land lining 261 to create affordable housing, but object to commercial development that would detract from Kent’s downtown.

It’s Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling’s job to know all this, but he also knows that it all comes down to dollars. That means sizable grants, which currently don’t exist. The search continues.

In the meantime, he’s limited to installing sidewalks where possible, but it can’t always be done.

“Unfortunately, it is a costly enterprise to retrofit an existing street with sidewalks where none exist today,” he stated. “Typically, the building of the new sidewalk will also require buying property, significant grading, retaining walls, new drainage and replacing all the drive aprons.”

Money. The city has adopted a piecemeal approach that requires developers to include sidewalks as part of their plans. Improvement, meaning walkability, is slow, but it is happening, Bowling insists.

He’s added Franklin Avenue to the city’s “list of needs to address in the future.”

None of which helps Portager reader Brenda Thacker, who is 73 and uses a mobility scooter. She says she enjoys going to Kent’s Farmers Market and to the city’s downtown restaurants and events. Lacking a car, she’s had to get creative.

“To get to the Farmers Market I have to go across 261 from Sunnybrook to Franklin, from Franklin up to the Marc’s parking lot, to Water Street, down Water and over and through all the busy intersections to Summit Street, [and] down Summit Street back down to Franklin,” she said.

It would take one-third the time and half the distance to go straight down Franklin, but there are no sidewalks in many areas, which would force her to ride in the street, she said. Even worse, some drivers block sidewalk ramps as they try to beat the lights, she said.

“I have a similar problem going to my doctor’s office,” Thacker said. “I can actually see where I need to go but crossing 261 at 43 is out of the question. Going from Sunnybrook to 43 on the side of 261 almost certainly means you will be hit. Some people like to see how close they can get without actually hitting you.”

Thacker said she has already had many close brushes with cars, and was actually hit once.

“I was very lucky and only got a few bruises, but my scooter was out of commission for most of the summer,” she said, adding that after two years of Covid lockdowns, losing more months of freedom was frustrating.

PARTA provides ADA-accessible vehicles, but Thacker said she had to get “special dispensation” because her physician is less than a half mile away.

“Kent is a great place to live and I really enjoy everything about it. It would just make life a little less stressful with safer travels,” she said.

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Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.