AMATS | Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study | Planning for Greater Akron

We’re seeking public comments as we develop a new four-year, $628 million transportation program for the Greater Akron area.

AMATS invites you to review and comment on its Draft Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) spanning fiscal years 2012 through 2015.

The TIP is the comprehensive program of more than $628 million of highway, public transit, and bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects scheduled to receive federal transportation funds over the next four years within the Greater Akron area.

The latest TIP addresses the common problem confronting the nation’s transportation planning agencies: limited funding for projects.  While the draft program includes a number of major and much-needed improvement projects, it also promotes preservation of the area’s existing system rather than costly roadway expansions.

The public is encouraged to comment on the Draft TIP.  Copies of the draft program are available for public review for 14 days beginning Monday, April 4 and ending Friday, April 15 at the following locations:

• The AMATS web site by clicking here.
• The AMATS office located at Room 806, 146 S. High Street in Akron.
• The Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 Office located at 2088 S. Arlington Road in Coventry Township.
• The PARTA offices located at 2000 Summit Road in Kent.

If you would like to learn more about the Draft TIP and the transportation planning process, you may view a presentation by TIP Coordinator Victor Botosan on the Civic Commons by clicking here.

TIP TALK: AMATS Director Jason Segedy, right, answers questions about the Draft TIP from WAKR-AM's Aaron Coleman during the April 5 public meeting in Stow.

To download a public comment form, please click here.

All public comments should be submitted to AMATS by April 15.

AMATS is launching what it hopes will be an ongoing dialogue with cyclists in the Greater Akron area.  With many considering biking as a viable, sustainable transportation alternative to the automobile, the planning agency decided recently that it was time to address the needs of the region’s cycling community.

AMATS will begin its outreach by hosting two Public Bike Meetings in Akron and Kent, according to Transportation Planner Phyllis Jividen.  The agency hopes to gain new insights into strategies that encourage cycling as a means of transportation and recreation by talking with the public and the area’s cycling enthusiasts.

The Akron meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on April 13 at the Highland Square Branch Library and the Kent meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on April 27 at the Kent Free Library.  The meetings are part of a larger sustained effort by the agency to work with cyclists to identify and meet their unique transportation needs, Jividen says.

She adds that the time is right for such an effort by the agency given growing public concerns regarding quality of life, fuel prices and environmental issues.  Cycling is increasingly viewed by many as an appealing alternative to driving.

“People are realizing that riding a bike not only has health benefits, but they can save money and cut down on pollution too,” she says.

Jividen adds that the agency will roll out new initiatives to promote cycling in the coming weeks.

For more information, please visit the agency’s Biking in the Region page.