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Residents urge Dayton to include north-of-Kiwi lane reduction in March funding application for Wayne Avenue
Summary
Members of the Wayne Avenue Traffic Safety Coalition asked the commission to submit the full safety plan, including a lane reduction north of Kiwi Street, in the March ODOT funding application, and to install temporary safety measures now rather than wait for longer-term Reimagine 35 planning work.
Speakers representing the Wayne Avenue Traffic Safety Coalition told the Dayton City Commission on Feb. 4 that delays have stalled a safety project and that the coalition is asking three actions: submit the full safety design (including the lane reduction north of Kiwi Street) in the March Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) funding application, install temporary safety measures now (including a pedestrian crossing connecting Park Drive and Pier Street and speed monitoring), and provide a public construction-start commitment.
"Traffic violence is not paused for construction or planning grants," Willie Morris, president of the coalition, told the commission, citing a 2022 fatal crash and repeated collisions on the corridor. Morris said administrative delays and a shrinking project scope have cost funding cycles and momentum.
Coalition member Laura Estandia explained the city is considering excluding the north-of-Kiwi section from the March submission because a federal Reconnecting Communities planning grant (Reimagine 35) could rethink that corridor; she warned that implementation funding from the federal program is uncertain and could be delayed by years, and urged the city not to postpone the work the neighborhood already advanced.
City staff said they received the coalition's letter and email and will prepare a detailed briefing for commissioners and neighborhood leaders. The coalition asked for a formal meeting with the commission to restore urgency to the project and avoid missing the March funding deadline.
