DAYTON — Drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists will soon see major changes to another major road in Dayton.
News Center 7’s Mike Campbell was at the Dayton City Commission this past week, where it approved more than $1 million for businesses that might benefit on East Third Street between Keowee Street and Linden Avenue.
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City leaders said the project will right-size the road for the current population and living styles. The roadway will narrow, bikes will get a devoted lane, and business people hope it will help make the area and their spots more attractive and easier to get to.
LaToya Thompkins is the General Manager of Gionino’s Pizza on East Third Street. Her customers love her product, and she just wants to see even more people enjoy a slice.
“Because we are pushed back a little bit, so when traffic goes past, they don’t really notice us,” Thompkins said.
She said business is a hidden gem and that a lot of people don’t know about her business. “One of the biggest complaints is about how hard it is getting on the streets over here and getting from downtown over here,” Thompkins said.
The five lanes will shrink to one lane eastbound, one lane westbound, and a middle turn lane, along with a so-called bike track,
Dayton’s City Engineer, David Escobar, said, “So, we call it a cycle track because we add that barrier or concrete median to divide the traffic from the bikes.”
Escobar pointed out the cycle track and said people can see it already completed in sections. He said it allows cyclists to ride in either direction with a concrete protective barrier.
Work has already begun. RTA is putting in infrastructure for new poles ahead of the road work. The three lanes may slow traffic a little bit, but the city is also looking out for pedestrians in other ways.
“We also have some mid-block crossings, some medians for people to get back and forth across the street,” Escobar said.
The commission just approved the money for this project, but planners are hoping to hire contractors very soon. The target completion date for the project is late January 2027.
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