The $2.7 million project hopefully will be completed this year, around November, city staff said.
But three more phases of work will follow, likely resulting in more than $12 million in infrastructure improvements that city staff and local residents hope will help increase business and residential interest and activities along the corridor.
This project is one of Dayton’s largest road rebuilds in recent history.
Staff said it is more than twice the amount the city spent remaking South Main and Brown streets combined.
“This is a real big project, and we’re hoping this has a really big impact on the economics of this area,” said Joe Weinel, Dayton’s chief engineer. “Hopefully people will be patient with us, because some section of Salem will be under construction for the next four or five years.”
“Progress takes time,” he said.
The first phase of the Salem Avenue reconstruction project will replace pavement, curbs, sidewalk and catch basins.
The base pavement dates back more than a century, which is the oldest in this section, Weinel said.
The project will install concrete stamped crosswalks at a couple of intersections and new decorative streets lights, similar to the ornamental poles on Brown and South Main streets.
The second phase of the project is expected to be the most expensive (about $6.2 million) and perhaps the most impactful.
The second phase will rebuild lower Salem Avenue (also known as the Salem Avenue Peace corridor) from Riverview to North avenues.
Phase 2 is expected to begin in 2022 and take about 18 months to complete.
The project will narrow the road to two lanes in each direction, with a middle turn lane, and it will add a new two-way cycling track that is protected from traffic.
Like phase 1, new curbs, sidewalks, ornamental street lights and concrete stamped crosswalks will go in.
Lower Salem Avenue recently celebrated the opening of the new Gem City Market, and other nearby properties are being targeted for redevelopment.
The Salem Avenue Peace Corridor LLC has worked hard for about a decade to renew interest in the area, which is ethnically and economically diverse, said Jules Rastikis, president of the group.
“It’s the major northwest gateway to downtown, (and it has a) rich historical background, strong anchor base, stable/historic housing, and strong leadership,” Rastikis said.
Phase 3 is expected to cost $2.9 million and start in spring of 2023.
It will rebuild the roadway from Manhattan Avenue to Cornell Drive.
At an expected cost of $3.2 million, phase 4 will start in spring 2025 and will rebuild the street from Cornell Drive to Elsemere Avenue.
The main source of funding for the Salem Avenue project is the Surface Transportation Program. Surface Transportation Program funds are administered locally by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC).
The city received funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission to help cover its required match in the first two phases.
The city hopes to receive additional assistance from the commission, and the city also is seeking funds for other future phases to make other roadway improvements.
“This area has a lot of potential,” Weinel said. “This is a main corridor that serves most of northwest Dayton.”
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