North Main Road Diet
Vision Zero got a road safety project approved for North Hill.
In April 2025, the movement now known as Vision Zero Akron began. Our community showed up for the North Main Street Safety Improvements.
The problem
Heading North from from downtown Akron, Broadway becomes the “Y Bridge” (All America Bridge) and then North Main Street. North Main Street was a 4-lane road with a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour. It cuts North Hill in half, and the 4-lane design dates back to at least 1952.
North Main was overbuilt. It cost the city more money than necessary to maintain 4 lanes of roads in what is, at most, a 2 lane area. People cannot safely cycle down this street, and anyone outside a car is treated to loud car noise. This project is an important first step in rebuilding North Hill community and preventing cars from dividing us.
Two street segments near the North Main improvement project were “high crash” sections. North Main from Olive Street to East Tallmadge Ave ranked #4. It will be made safer as part of this project. State Road, the continuation of North Main Street into Cuyahoga Falls, ranked #13. Presumably because it sits outside Akron, it could not be included in this round of construction funding.
The solution
The construction now underway includes:
- ~$16 million in funding, predominantly grants from outside sources
- Safer pedestrian crossings
- Dedicated at-grade bike lanes in each direction
- Removal of 1 car lane in each direction
- Center turn lane for cars
The project begins at the Akron city limit – High-Level Bridge over the Gorge (Cuyahoga River). It continues South until the Y Bridge.
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