Eleven public infrastructure projects — including new roads, sidewalks, pedestrian bump-outs, hiking and biking trails, and storm-water projects — will make for a busy spring and summer season this year in Dayton.
“All of this construction work will create some short-term pain in terms of traffic disruptions, dust, and detours,” Dayton Mayor Ben Baker said, “but in the end, it will make our city more vibrant, walkable, and attractive.”
Completed projects
The city has completed two projects so far this year: new sidewalk and road improvements to the intersection at O’Fallon Street, Fifth Avenue, and Manhattan Boulevard and a new trail section that connects the parking lot of Queen City Marina at the foot of O’Fallon Avenue to the existing section of the Riverfront Commons river’s-edge hiking and biking trail along the Ohio River north of Manhattan Boulevard.
The improvements — which include new curbs, signs, sidewalks, ADA-accessible ramps, and pavement striping for crosswalks and stop bars — were designed to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety at the intersection.
The new section on the Riverfront Commons trail covers about a 100-foot area where trail walkers and bikers had created a dirt and mud path to access the first phase of the lower trail project, which was completed two years ago.
The work is necessary, Baker said, because Dayton has seen an increase in the number of people using the city’s streets, sidewalks and trails.
“These new infrastructure improvements will enhance this experience and make this streets, sidewalks, and trails safer and more enjoyable,” Baker said.
Projects currently underway
Three infrastructure projects underway right now are: Sidewalks on Dayton Pike from Seventh Avenue to Chateau Ridge; sidewalks on upper Belmont Road; and curb extensions, also known as sidewalk bump-outs, on Sixth Avenue from McKinney Avenue to Berry Street.
These sidewalk improvements are part of a Safe Routes to Schools grant the city received from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. These grants are designed to increase safety — particularly for children going to school — reduce traffic congestion, and contribute to livable, walkable communities.
The 13 sidewalk bump-outs on Sixth Avenue in the Central Business District will extend some of the existing downtown sidewalks into the street.
These improvements narrow the roadway to provide additional pedestrian space and safety, including increased pedestrian visibility through improved sightlines, decrease pedestrian exposure to traffic by shortening the crossing distance, reduce vehicle speeds, and provide additional space for street furnishings, outdoor dining, and plantings.
Electric conduit will be installed during this construction phase on both Sixth Avenue and Dayton Pike projects, but lighting fixtures will not be added in these project areas until a later date.
“These sidewalk projects have been 10 years in the making, and we are excited to finally see them coming to fruition,” Baker said. “These are just the first steps we are taking to enhance our downtown streetscape and improve pedestrian safety in our city.”
Projects coming this summer and fall
Here are the projects coming later this year:
- Extending Manhattan Boulevard from just east of the Manhattan on the River apartment complex at 1065 Manhattan Blvd. to where Mary Ingles Highway and Fourth Avenue meet at the floodwall.
- Construction of the Berry Street connector between Manhattan Boulevard and Berry Street.
- Constructing Phase II of the Riverfront Commons’ river’s-edge trail project from the foot of McKinney Avenue to the foot of Main Street.
- Storm-water projects at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Kenton Street and on Ervin Terrace from Belmont Road to 10th Avenue.
- Repaving Ky. 8 from O’Fallon Avenue to Mary Ingles Highway and sections of six other roads in the city.
Manhattan Harbour’s developer will construct the final leg of Manhattan Boulevard, which is about a one-fourth of a mile, in the coming weeks. This project will involve bringing fill to the site to raise the roadway above the 100-year flood level, then installing utilities, lighting, curbs, sidewalks, and the roadbed itself.
Once the road is finished and inspected, it will be dedicated as a public roadway and the city of Dayton will maintain it. Filling and grading work on this residential project is coming to a completion. Velo Riverside is the same ownership group that constructed the 263-unit Tapestry on the River apartment community, which has since been purchased and renamed Manhattan on the River.
Forty-five days after the last portion of Manhattan Boulevard is completed, the developer is slated to start work on the long-awaiting Berry Street connector road, which will connect the Manhattan Boulevard to Berry Street. This project will allow residents of the community along the river easy access to downtown Dayton businesses and allow residents of other Dayton neighborhoods and visitors to the city easy access to the Ohio River from the city center.
Phase two of the Riverfront Commons trail project will add about three-quarters of a mile to the existing trail, which is part of a larger 11.5-mile trail system that runs from Dayton to Ludlow. The city is awaiting final approval of the bid specifications for this project from KYTC. The city hopes to start construction of this phase of the project this summer.
Dayton is undertaking two stormwater improvements projects in partnership with SD1. One project is designed to eliminate stormwater backups at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Kenton Street. A second project is designed to address stormwater issues affecting properties located on the east side of Ervin Terrace from Belmont Road to 10th Avenue.
Once the stormwater project is completed on Fourth Avenue, KYTC will mill and repave Ky. 8, portions of Sixth Avenue, Clay Street, and Fourth Avenue, from O’Fallon Avenue to Mary Ingles Highway. In addition, at its next meeting, the Dayton City Council is expected to approve a $220,417 contract with Riegler Blacktop to mill and repave the following streets:
- Benham Street from Second to Third Avenue
- Chateau Ridge from Dayton Pike to Dayton Avenue
- McKinney Street from 10th Avenue to Belmont Road
- Fifth Avenue from Main to Kenton Street
- Benham from Third to Fourth Avenue
- Ervin Terrace from Eighth to Ninth Street
- O’Fallon Avenue from Ninth Avenue to Fuhrman Avenue
This work, which the city’s Municipal Road Aid fund will pay for, is expected to be completed this summer. The city also has installed 40 ADA ramps throughout the city in anticipation of this repaving work.
Future projects
The city’s engineers are currently working on designs for two additional projects that have been approved and are seeking approval for two other infrastructure projects in the city. The two projects currently being designed are:
- Phase two of the Dayton Pike sidewalk project
- Phase three of the Riverfront Commons river’s-edge trail project
The sidewalk project runs from Chateau Ridge to the existing sidewalk across from Gregory Lane, which the City of Fort Thomas completed last year. Design work is underway. Once construction of this project is completed, pedestrians will be able to walk on sidewalks from downtown Dayton to downtown Fort Thomas for the first time since both cities were founded. The city hopes these design plans and bid specifications will be approved this year by the state so construction of this project can occur next year.
Phase three of the Riverfront Commons project is also in the design phase. This phase of the project will complete the river’s-edge trail and connect with this portion of the trail to the older trail on top of the levee, which will create a three-mile trail loop along the Ohio River. The city hopes to that construction of this project can take place next year, too.
Dayton also has two outstanding grants for other public infrastructure projects. One seeks $750,000 from a KYTC for a TAP grant to provide for upgrades and improvements to the upper trail of Riverfront Commons. This trail section is more than 25 years old and has surpassed its useful life and needs to be replaced. It also needs to be expanded to from five feet in width to eight feet in width to accommodate the growing number of residents and visitors who use this trail for walking, running, and biking.
Dayton is also working with Southbank Partners and the cities of Bellevue and Fort Thomas to obtain a federal RAISE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the design to create a better connection of the riverfront trail between Bellevue and Dayton and to extend this trail from its current terminus at the Dayton floodwall to along Mary Ingles Highway and through the city and into and through Fort Thomas. The city is awaiting notifications from both of these governments about these grants, which it expects to receive this spring/summer.