If smoother roads and more trails were on your 2026 wish list, you’re in luck. The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) kicked off the year by approving nearly $29 million in funding for 21 transportation projects across Summit, Portage, and northeastern Wayne counties.
After reviewing 71 applications last fall, the agency’s Policy Committee unanimously approved projects that will receive funding between now and 2032. Three large-scale projects will receive more than $11.3 million through the Surface Transportation Block Grant program:
- Akron: $4.1 million to reconstruct Waterloo Road
- New Franklin: $4.9 million to improve the State Route 619 corridor
- Kent / Portage County: $2.3 million for improvements to the Stow Street Bridge area, including a new shared-use path
Nearly $12.7 million is set aside for 13 resurfacing projects in communities including Akron, Barberton, Hudson, Stow, Doylestown, and county-level work in Summit and Portage counties.
More than $4.9 million in Transportation Alternatives funding will help expand pedestrian and bike infrastructure, including:
- Phase 4 of Akron’s Rubber City Heritage Trail
- Hudson’s Veterans Rails-to-Trails
- A new multi-use path along Graham Road in Stow
- Green’s Steese Road sidewalk extension
- Fairlawn’s Schocalog to Sand Run Greenway project
For a region that increasingly values connectivity, not just for cars, but for cyclists and walkers, this is a meaningful investment.
