MAUMEE, Ohio — If you've been through Maumee lately, there's no doubt you've noticed that Conant Street in uptown is again under construction.
Residents want to know when all the orange barrels will finally go away.
"I know I speak for the majority of the citizens of Maumee when I say, 'We want solutions right away,'" resident Anthony Wright said.
Conant hasn't been without these orange barrels in more than a year. In 2020, the road went from four lanes of traffic down to three to make way for more street parking.
Mayor Rich Carr said the focus was to make pedestrians feel more safe walking the streets, as Conant has always been clogged.
Many residents weren't too thrilled about the decision back then. Now, they say it's getting worse.
"Having been here over 30-something years, it's been nice to cut through Maumee to get wherever you're going," said former Maumee resident Bill McConnell. "It really is kind of a nuisance. You are almost always caught in traffic, you're almost always caught in a jam some place."
Traffic on Conant is even more backed up these days because the city is making the parking spots it created permanent. City officials stand behind the idea the changes weren't designed to make traffic flow faster at all.
In the past, Mayor Carr has told us the change would attract people to stay downtown, not just pass through. Others say it's only driving them away.
"We've been trying to start to avoid downtown because of the traffic jams," McConnell said. "It's just hard to get through here. Our kids and grandkids just really wanted to come to the candy store, so we braved the traffic this morning to come so they could see the candy store."
Maumee officials did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
But when will the construction be complete? Maumee residents want answers.
"I just want the fastest and most convenient way to pass through Maumee," Wright said. "I feel like we need solutions sooner than later."
The goal is to have construction completed by November of 2023.
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