TOLEDO, Ohio —
Construction of a roundabout could be coming to Secor Road in a few years, with the goal of improving safety.
The city of Toledo hosted a community meeting Thursday regarding the redesign of Secor Road between Central Avenue and Kenwood Boulevard. The city is proposing a roundabout to replace the traffic light at Secor and Kenwood.
The project will add a median down the center corridor of the road to prevent left turns, Doug Stephens, acting director of public utilities for the city, said.
Stephens said the project would add a multi-modal, 10-foot-wide bike path on the west side of the road. Signalized crossings for pedestrians would be added as well.
Stephens said safety was one factor for the project. He said roundabouts are known to reduce accidents, and the crossings would reduce the distance pedestrians would have to cross.
He said the project is intended not only to improve safety or add transportation choices, but also to change the look of the neighborhood.
"This is a project that should start to provide a neighborhood feel," Stephens said.
Part of the project is increasing the tree canopy in the area and enhancing lighting. Stephens said the sidewalk on the east side of the road would be reinstalled and that the project should transform plain pavement into something that makes people want to be in the area.
The project is expected to cost $5,022,400, according to a city spokesperson, and is being funded primarily through state and federal funding. Stephens said there was an application in 2021 for federal funds through the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. He said they also are using congestion mitigation funds for the project. The city will pay $516,350 for the project.
The city will take small triangular pieces of property to build the roundabout, Stephens said. The existing public right of way is wide enough along the corridor for the project, so no full houses will need to be taken.
"There may be a little bit of work we have to do on the bike path with some property as we get up toward Westgate, but the homes and everything along there, we should have to touch next to nothing," he said.
Proposed roundabout, more on Secor Road
Stephens said the city is expecting feedback, which is why it held a community input meeting at the Sanger Branch Library.
Amy Sackman Odum, a former Toledo resident, said she drives in the area of Secor Road frequently for work and to visit family.
"I think it will make a much safer driving experience for the people in the neighborhood as well as the people who are traveling to the retail area of Westgate or onto the University," she said.
Construction for the project is expected to start in 2026.