FAIRBORN — Dayton Drive in the City of Fairborn will soon undergo construction, which will alter traffic patterns in that area for a period of time.
The road project involves a widening of the roadway, installation of new curbs, improvements to the Maple Avenue and Dayton Drive intersection and a full-depth reconstruction, which means the current hard surface on Dayton Drive from Xenia Drive to Maple Avenue will be completely removed down to the dirt so that a brand new surface can be installed.
It is expected to begin in the coming weeks and wrap up by November, closing and rerouting westbound Dayton Drive traffic for a period of time.
“If you’re heading from Xenia toward Maple, that movement will be detoured for a portion of the project,” City Engineer Don O’Connor said at the June 5 regular council meeting as he presented the item to members. “The detour will take you from Xenia to Maple … That is the only detour that is planned at this point. [Eastbound] is planned to go through at all times.”
Drivers are currently permitted to only turn northbound from Dayton Drive. After the project is complete, drivers will be permitted to turn left from the westbound and eastbound directions onto Dayton Drive, which is not currently permitted due to the high grade of that intersection, impacting the sight distance and creating a safety hazard. Drivers will still not be permitted to turn left from the southbound direction onto Dayton Drive due to the sharpness of the turn.
The construction will address the grade of the road, widen it by an additional lane onto Maple Avenue and complete phase three of the city’s Streetscape project, which was aimed at improving usability and the aesthetics of Main Street.
“This being a full-depth repair, this will be the best asphalt we have in the state,” O’Connor said.
The road construction costs a total of $1,434,000. Council approved a request at the June 5 meeting that gave the engineering department access to a 5 percent contingency for unforeseen costs. A grant by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission is funding $504, 572, while another grant by the Ohio Public Works Commission is funding $400,000, leaving the City of Fairborn to fund the remaining $529,428 (which includes the contingency costs).
Vectren is currently manning several projects involving the installation of new pipelines throughout the community. Engineering and the gas company coordinated beforehand, leading Vectren to prioritize installing new pipelines near the Dayton Drive area. Therefore, O’Connor does not expect any conflicts with either of the projects.
“We will confirm with them (Vectren) before we put the finished product down,” he said. “They’re finishing up, if they aren’t done already in that area.”
The contractors, RB Jergens, are slated to work with Fairborn on this project for 150 days. RB Jergens is familiar with the City of Fairborn, working with it on former projects happening on Col. Glenn Highway in 2014 near Wright State University, in addition to previous construction that took place in 2015 on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road.
