Monday, December 16, 2002 the new Broadway
Street between Bartges and Selle will open in time for morning rush hour traffic. The exit
ramp out of the new parking deck onto Broadway will also be open Monday. The entrance ramp
into the new Opportunity Park deck is not yet open, however. The topcoat of asphalt will
be placed in the spring when the temperatures allow and that ramp will then be accessible.
The road is opening on schedule and within budget. The contractor was performing
roughly 1 million dollars worth of work every month to complete this portion of the job on
a very tight schedule. With the final completion of E.Bartges/University Avenue in early
spring, the City of Akron will be able to develop over 20 acres of industrial land. Also,
the addition of the ramps into and out of the new Opportunity Park deck will allow
commuters easier access to the parking structure.
The 2500-foot reconstruction of Broadway includes a three-foot stone sub base made
entirely of the crushed concrete from the old south deck of Opportunity Deck that was
razed earlier in the year. The $3,800,000 project also includes 12-inch thick asphalt
pavement, new LED traffic signals at Bartges and at Selle, new lighting, storm sewer,
concrete retaining walls, and over 30,000 cubic yards of earth to be moved. Trees and
landscaping will be completed in the spring.
END
