ODOT is planning to dramatically improve the Interstate 76/77 interchange in Akron at South Main Street and South Broadway. The plan also calls for the purchase of a number of commercial buildings and homes in the area surrounding the current interchange in order to make way for expanded and reconfigured ramps and roadways. The plan more specifically includes:
• Shutting down the nearby Wolf Ledges Parkway/Grant Street interchange.
• Abandoning a portion of South Broadway at the highway.
• Relocating a part of South Main on the south end, and turning it from a one-way street into a two-way road from near GOJO Industries to Miller Avenue.
• Tearing down homes along West South Street for a new exit ramp from eastbound I-76/77.
ODOT is hoping work will start in 2016. Money is understandably an issue for the over $95 million project. However, the project has recently been tabbed as a Tier 1 recommendation in the Governor’s new $3 billion transportation funding plan. As of July 2013, the final design for the project had not been completed.
