$1.5M secured for Woodman corridor upgrades near WPAFB
Riverside says $1.5 million has been a secured to improve the city’s busiest traffic corridor with the funding earmarked to include upgrades near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The city has announced the money will be used on Woodman Drive corridor improvements to reduce crashes — particularly into Wright-Patt’s perimeter security fence — and address the crumbling infrastructure.
“It adds, I think, a tremendous amount of wind in our sails, really complements the land use plan that we’ve put together and our efforts to make the corridor safer overall,” Riverside City Manager Josh Rauch said.
It also helps the city “be a good neighbor to the base and to help Riverside be a contributor to the region’s success and economic development success in the region,” he added.
The funds will also provide “aesthetic enhancements” to the corridor which complement those recently completed by the city along Springfield Street near the entrance to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, according to Riverside officials
The city credited U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, for securing the funding. Turner called Woodman Riverside’s “gateway” in the announcement from the city.
Woodman is “also critical to navigating the Dayton area as many of the men and women at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base drive the corridor on their daily commutes,” Turner said.
The traffic corridor is the focus of long-range improvements. It starts at the U.S. 35 interchange, includes Harshman Avenue and ends at the Springfield Street exit.
This funding, which will be allocated by the Department of Transportation, builds on a grant the city received in 2023.
It will be used for engineering and design for this part of the project, which “re-imagine” the Woodman corridor, according to the city. The project looks to increase safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle traffic while reducing incursions into Wright-Patterson, according to Riverside.
Input will be given this year on how the estimated three-mile stretch on Woodman/Harshman from the U.S. 35 to Springfield Street can be made safer, Riverside officials have said.
It will cost several million dollars to overhaul the route. It has a 45-mile-perhour speed limit, lacks adequate pedestrian paths and an area near Wright-Patt includes a curve where vehicle accidents happen too frequently, according to Riverside records.
Riverside officials have said the work will be done in phases. The first will start at the U.S. 35 interchange — which is now undergoing realignment construction — and end at Eastman Road, city officials have said.
Riverside last year received an a $500,000 ODOT grant for the Woodman corridor work. The city has invested about $6.8 million in the corridor, Riverside documents show.