The city is in the design stage of the project, whichofficials said will contribute to the safe passage of students, staff and families from the high school while complementing the new Washington Twp. Fire Department Station 41.
The city’s goal is to have design plans for the estimated $2.7 million project complete by the end of the year, according to Pat Turnbull, Centerville’s director of public works
“We’re exploring funding opportunities right now,” Turnbull told Dayton Daily News Monday. “The goal would be to be under construction as early as 2024, but depending on funding that we’re able to lock down it could be after that.
The project is expected to remove “significant traffic” from Franklin Street, improve traffic flow for community events and relieve congestion and backups at critical intersections including Franklin and Main streets, city officials said.
It also will and provide access at the rear of CHS for emergency personnel, students and staff and add to the efficiency of first responders from Centerville Police Department and Washington Twp. Fire Department.
Planning for the road extension stretches back to fall 2021, Turnbull said.
Centerville Superintendent Jon Wesney said the district believes the extension will relieve congestion in the CHS parking lot provide a secondary link from the campus to a major arterial road and boost safety.
“This particular situation allows us to really provide a benefit not only to the staff and students of Centerville High School, but also to the community at large,” Wesney told this news outlet Monday. “A new entrance and exit at the high school will play a vital role in keeping kids safe ... and provides that extra entrance and exit that’ll make sure that kids and staff and parents can get in and out so much faster, safer and more conveniently for everyone involved.”
That includes traffic to and from Friday night football games. Under the current configuration “a lot of people are trying to get to the games and traffic is backed up and you have one entrance from Franklin Street that really kind of ties everything down,” Wesney said.
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