BEAVERCREEK PLANS $3.9M YEARLONG ROAD PROJECT
Fixes will give heavily traveled road better flow, improve safety.
Construction on a $3.9 million road project in Beavercreek will start this week, and businesses along a part of Dayton-Xenia Road will be affected until the work is finished next summer.
More than 15,000 vehicles travel over the section of Dayton-Xenia Road that is targeted for sidewalks and widening. It’s less than a mile, between Beaverbrook and Wallaby drives, but the busy thoroughfare will be closed for 10 days shortly after the Fourth of July.
After the initial closure, traffic will be maintained in both directions during construction, said Nick Smith, Beavercreek assistant city engineer.
“The Dayton-Xenia Road widening ... is our biggest project for the city this year in terms of road construction,” Smith said. “The purpose of the project is to implement a transportation solution that provides safe and effective movement along Dayton-Xenia Road ... for motor vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.”
The city obtained 48 permanent and temporary easements from residents and business owners whose properties abut the proposed widening and sidewalk area. Smith said obtaining the easements was a long, drawnout process, and those property owners who are impacted will be compensated.
Some business owners are concerned about the project’s impact, both short- and long-term.
“it’s going to hurt our business a little bit on days when they’re working right out front,” said Jim Barney, whose family has owned and operated Barney’s True Value Hardware, 3375 Dayton-Xenia
Road, since 1996.
Barney’s has one of the last remaining tall business signs in Beavercreek. It’s visible from North Fairfield Road, but it’s coming down as part of the project and will be replaced with a groundlevel sign, which complies with the city’s current zoning rules.
The store has a large parking lot, but some parking spaces near the road will be gone when the project is completed.
On the positive side, the city will remove a troublesome pole in the parking lot that has tires around it because it gets hit frequently by motorists.
Barney said they brought a list of concerns to the city when they were first notified of the project a few years ago.
He said the city worked with them on some issues, and the final design included their input on some concerns they had as it affects their business.
“(The city) had a detailed plan. They answered all of our concerns. It will look nice when it’s done,” he said.
Mary Moore at the All Star Barber Shop, 3625 Dayton-Xenia Road, said she’s concerned about losing parking spaces that are adjacent to the road. Most of her customers don’t know they can park in the rear of the building, she said.
Moore said she’s already seen a drop in business on days when crews are working in front of or near the shop.
“When they’re working down the street, it’s not so bad. We get about the same number of customers. But when it gets really busy in front here, it’s not so many,” Moore said.
The contractor hired to complete the project is Vandalia-based RB Jergens. A tree-cutting crew has been clearing the way, and construction is set to start this week. The project is slated to be finished in July 2018.