LOUDONVILLE — A project years in the making is bringing Loudonville one step closer to a more connected downtown.
The village will receive $1,784,450 through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along Main Street.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn announced the funding Tuesday. Loudonville is one of 17 projects in 16 Ohio counties receiving a share of more than $21 million through the program.
Improvements in Loudonville will add 5-foot-wide bike lanes, with a 2-foot buffer, on Main
Street from Spring Street to Brentwood Drive, widen sidewalks, add curb extensions and improve pedestrian crossings.
A rapid flashing beacon also is planned at Main and Wood streets, near Loudonville schools and the library. On-street parking will remain under the current plan.
Construction is expected to begin in 2031.
“We’ve needed improvements on the sidewalks for some time,” Village Administrator Garret DeWitt said Wednesday. “With the cars parked downtown, visibility to cross the street at times and certain intersections can be a little tricky, so this will make it much safer.”
A community priority
Projects which received funding were selected through committee recommendations and a scoring system focused on safety, connectivity and preservation, according to the release.
Funding was prioritized for areas with a high demand and need for walking and biking, as well as projects ready for implementation.
This project was identified as a priority through a downtown planning process that began in 2022 and involved village officials, businesses, residents and the Mohican Area Growth Foundation.
The planning process included 364 online survey responses, 943 responses collected through downtown pop-up events and more than 100 people attending community open houses.
Main Street was identified as the community’s top-priority project.
The village also changed the project’s design based on community feedback. The original proposal was to narrow the roadway more significantly. The village later revised the plan to reduce the roadway from 21 feet to 19 feet while maintaining on-street parking.
“We adjusted our plan based on the community feedback and came to a good compromise,” DeWitt said.
The Mohican Area Growth Foundation approached the village about working together on downtown improvements in 2020. MAGF then helped create the task force that guided the planning process.
The village also worked with OHM Advisors, a Cleveland-based consulting firm, to conduct meetings and gather public input.
DeWitt credited MAGF President Jordan Lance with helping lead the project.
“I think Jordan Lance really took the lead in the early parts of the process and was very active and worked very hard,” DeWitt said. “He put a lot of work and time and effort into making sure that we get started with this.”
Lance said the project could help change how residents and visitors experience downtown.
“The biggest potential impact of this project is that it will now reflect the underlying beauty of this community, making downtown a place where residents, visitors and business owners want to spend their time and invest their money,” Jordan Lance said.
He also credited Councilman Matt Armstrong for being the key lead in the most recent application.
DeWitt said the village and MAGF have pursued the funding several times, making minor changes to the proposal along the way. The village did not receive funding during the first two rounds.
Mayor Cathy Lance hopes the improvements will make downtown more inviting for residents and visitors and encourage people to spend more time in Loudonville.
“We’re hoping to get maybe even more foot traffic, a place that people want to come see,” the mayor said.
The Main Street project is part of a broader downtown revitalization plan developed by the village and MAGF. The plan identifies priority projects and provides a framework for future downtown improvements.
The current project estimate is $2,214,750, according to DeWitt. The original application estimated the project at about $3.84 million, but the village adjusted as plans developed.
“Any grant for a community our size that allows us to make improvements that we would otherwise have to make ourselves is very helpful for us,” DeWitt said.
