With the approval of an agreement between Maumee and the Ohio Department of Transportation, Maumee’s Anthony Wayne Trail project is finally getting ready to start, officials hope, by the fall.
“They’re out for bid right now on the Anthony Wayne project,” said Patrick Burtch, city administrator.
In a special meeting on Friday, city council approved a deal with ODOT stipulating that the city’s financial contribution for the project would be approximately $7 million, paid over three years. But officials were quick to point out that estimate could increase or decrease depending on where the bids ultimately land.
Mr. Burtch said he was told Aug. 8 is the date the state will award a contract for the project, and the plan at this point is to start work in late August or September.
And with the ongoing Conant Street project as well as the upcoming construction to I-475, Mr. Burtch said Maumee will be under a lot of road construction for a while, but delaying the projects would just make the situation worse.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “It’s either this or do these projects in chronological order.”
Mayor Rich Carr said the Anthony Wayne Trail connects to the work the city is doing on Conant Street. Both, he said, are used as thoroughfares by people passing through Maumee, and after the work on both is complete, the city will be more of a destination spot.
He made the point, too, that maintaining cities is like maintaining a home — if people don’t keep up on the work, it starts to deteriorate. The plan, Mr. Carr said, is for the upgrades to continue expanding throughout the city.
“It’s going to look like a suburban community, instead of a thoroughfare you just drive through,” he said.
Jim MacDonald, president of city council, said the Anthony Wayne project has been scheduled to happen for several years and was partially the result of a safety study. The goal, he said, is also to make it a safer road, which includes extending the 35 mph speed limit by one intersection to the east and west.
“It’s been in the plans for a while,” he said. “I’m glad to see it finally go.”
And he understands the concerns about so many road and traffic projects happening almost at the same time. The Conant Street project is supposed to be finished up by the end of the year, he said, but for the rest, he acknowledged that it’s just that season in Ohio.
“Unfortunately, we have a very small window in this part of the country where we can pave and do [construction],” Mr. MacDonald said.
On Conant Street, though, Mr. MacDonald said construction would have to stop for a weekend for the Fourth of July.
“That’s the next big event we’re working toward,” he said. “We get large crowds up there.”
First Published June 20, 2022, 7:38 p.m.
