Widening of Shakertown nearly done, work to start on realignment

Shakertown Road in Beavercreek was closed for two weeks in October between Burntwood Drive and Grange Hall Road for a culvert replacement. The work was part of a $1.2 million road widening project that is expected to be completed in May, 2019. The widening adds a turn lane to the middle of the road, curbs and sidewalks. TY GREENLEES / STAFF

Shakertown Road in Beavercreek was closed for two weeks in October between Burntwood Drive and Grange Hall Road for a culvert replacement. The work was part of a $1.2 million road widening project that is expected to be completed in May, 2019. The widening adds a turn lane to the middle of the road, curbs and sidewalks. TY GREENLEES / STAFF

Work to widen a portion of Shakertown Road is nearly complete, but the Beavercreek thoroughfare soon will be cut off from U.S. 35 as realignment plans get underway in the new year.

The bidding process is expected to begin in February on the $4 million project to realign Shakertown with Factory and Alpha Bellbrook roads, according to Beavercreek Engineer Jeff Moorman.

The city project will be coordinated with the Ohio Department of Transportation’s U.S. 35 super street project, which involves eliminating left turns and installing u-turns at Factory Road and Orchard Lane.

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“Shakertown dead ends into 35,” Moorman said. “We need to remove that access point for safety reasons. People are going relatively fast on 35. Individuals trying to make a left turn is not a safe maneuver.”

Shakertown’s access to U.S. 35 is expected to be blocked when ODOT begins work on U.S. 35, which could happen as early as May, state officials have said.

The entire Shakertown Road now includes a center turn lane after work began in September to widen it in the area of Grange Hall Road near the Traditions of Beavercreek, a senior living community.

A special assessment on the Traditions community of $250,000 helped pay for the $1.2 million Shakertown widening project, city officials have said.

More motorists will be using Shakertown in the near future as plans by the Leo Brown Group are moving forward to add 14, four-unit and five, two-unit garden home buildings on approximately 19 acres that will be part of the Traditions of Beavercreek community, according to planning documents on file with the city.

The apartments, a total of 66 units, will be identical to the Traditions of Beavercreek’s three existing garden home buildings and are intended for independent living seniors.

“The streets … are interconnected so the garden home residents traveling to the assisted living building for dining and other amenities will not need to use Shakertown Road,” according to the city’s planning documents.

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The plans include adding a second access point to Shakertown Road directly across from Burntwood Drive. The new apartment units will generate a total of 227 vehicles per day, with 16 trips a day during peak commuting hours, according to city records.

Construction of the new garden home buildings is slated to start in the spring, with all phases of the project being finished by 2024, according to city records.

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