Clayton seeking grant to widen Hoke Road, top ‘priority’ for city
Clayton City Council will seek more funding to help widen a highly traveled road through the city.
The city will apply for the Surface Transportation Program through the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission to widen Hoke Road in two phases, according to Director of Development Jack Kuntz.
The project would not begin for at least four to five years.
The first phase would widen Hoke Road from Smith Drive — where the WalMart is located — to Wenger Road. This would extend Hoke Road to three lanes and extend water and sanitary sewers to sections of Hoke that do not have them.
Intersection improvements also would happen in phase one.
The second phase would be from Wenger Road to National Road.
The city expects this would assist to alleviate traffic congestion that occurs throughout the day and when there are backups on Interstate 70 because motorists use this corridor as an alternate route.
The additional part of the project will result in the installation of walking and bike paths to connect to the multi-use path already in place on National Road.
“We believe by widening this stretch of Hoke Road and extending the utilities, the corridor will become easier to travel and economic growth will naturally occur due to the areas’ close proximity to I-70, the Northmont campus, Village of North Clayton, the Kleptz YMCA, Sinclair’s Northmont campus and Kettering Health’s campus,” Kuntz said.
The entire corridor of Hoke Road, from Smith Drive to National Road, is about one mile.
“This project is seen as a high priority for the city to continue improving our longterm infrastructure and economic development plans,” Kuntz said.
Kuntz said the city has been studying this stretch of road for about 10 years.
Leaders had received funding from the state, previously, to widen this stretch of road but with additional federal regulations to the grant, which required the local match had increased for the widening.
The city decided to use those funds for the CAT Logistics project that currently has more than 650 jobs.
The application for the new grant is due in October, and the city will not find out if it received funding until sometime in the late winter or early spring.
Visit the city’s website or contact Kuntz for questions about the project. Contact this reporter at 937225-0730 or email Emily. Kronenberger@coxinc.com.