Main Street Makeover Creates Challenges for PARTA Riders and Drivers

KENT, Ohio – As the Main Street construction project moves forward, many adaptations have been made to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority, the main mode of transportation for thousands of residents and students in Kent, is working to keep its buses on time and safe.

The construction project consists of repaving Main Street, widening the road, adding safer crossways for pedestrians, and finally, adding two roundabouts. The roundabouts will be located at the intersection of Main St. and Horning Rd. in front of the Center of Performing Arts, and the five way intersection of Main St., Willow St., and Haymaker Parkway on the east end of campus. All of these changes are an effort to slow down traffic and create accessible and safe crossing for pedestrians.

PARTA said they are collaborating with Kenmore Construction, the contracted company for the project, and Kent State University to ensure that all parties are on the same page and up to date on the project’s progress.

There are two main bus routes that run along the affected strip of Main Street. The biggest challenge for routes Interurban East 35 and Suburban North 40 is servicing the Moulton Hall stop at the corner of Main Street and Hilltop Drive, driving eastbound.

“The Moulton Hall stop is difficult to service because the lanes are off-center due to the construction,” Jonathan Harper, a Campus Road Supervisor, said. Harper has logged over a thousand hours as a PARTA driver in his four years of service. Ohio Law requires bus drivers to load and offload passengers as close to the right-hand curb or edge of a roadway as possible. With the current construction, drivers have to adjust in order to ensure that passengers at all stops have access to the bus services.

Amy Proseus, the Transit Planner for PARTA, said that Campus Route 51 is able to service the Moulton Hall stop because it loads and offloads from Hilltop Drive, whose curb is still serviceable from the bottom of the hill.

“We recommend that riders catch the 51 at Moulton and meet up with either bus 40 or bus 35 at Main and Kent UCC eastbound. Their other option is to just board directly onto 35 or 40 at the Main and Lincoln eastbound stop in front of the Cleveland Bagel Cafe,” she said.

According to PARTA, Campus Route 51 alone has served over 119,000 passengers since the beginning of the calendar year, and the drivers need to be informed and updated in order to keep such a high volume of riders safe. Proseus says that PARTA regularly informs its drivers about any changes or updates.

“Operations sends out email updates to all of our drivers, and we print out updates so that drivers see them every time they clock in for a shift,” Proseus said. The updates include any routes that have detours and their new directions.

Although the construction may seem confusing, frustrating, and inconvenient, Proseus made it clear that PARTA is doing its job to make sure all of its employees are prepared to service the community.

“We’re doing our best to stay on time, but our passengers need to take into account the construction and plan their schedules accordingly,” Proseus said. Community members are also able to attend the monthly PARTA board meetings at the Summit Street main office, as well as find all updates on the PARTA and city of Kent websites.

Along with the widening of the roads and the installment of the treelawn, Horning Road is being modified to directly flow into Overlook Drive on the north side of Main Street. The University Newman Center, the Kent United Church of Christ, and Kent State’s Administration Services Building will have their entryways realigned as part of the project.

When the project reaches the point of the installation of the roundabouts, Kenmore Construction said that traffic would still be able to flow through the construction zones. With Main Street being such a high traffic area for residents, students, and buses, it is important to make sure that the campus remains accessible to motor traffic.