March 19, 2019 - In the past five years more than 300 miles of neighborhood street improvements have occurred in the City of Fort Wayne and today, Mayor Tom Henry announced that a record $31 million will be invested in neighborhood transportation improvements in 2019.

Joined by City Council members and residents of the Pettit-Rudisill neighborhood where more than 50 blocks of resurfacing will take place on neighborhood streets this summer, Mayor Henry and City staff announced the 2019 projects.

“We’re going to have another tremendous year of infrastructure upgrades in neighborhoods throughout Fort Wayne. By working together with neighborhood leaders, City Council, and our Public Works Division to plan our projects for this construction season, we’ll be able to make a lasting and meaningful difference,” said Mayor Henry. “The investments we’ve made over the last several years demonstrate that neighborhoods, the backbone of our City, are a top priority.”

A neighborhood of nearly 2,000 homes, Pettit-Rudisill will also see alley reconstruction, sidewalk repairs, and the resurfacing of two of its main streets: 17 blocks of McKinnie Avenue and ten blocks of Hanna Street.

“We are not only improving worn roads, we are making improvements that enhance safety for drivers, bicyclists, and walkers,” said Shan Gunawardena, Director of the Division of Public Works. “From fixing sidewalk trip hazards, adding ADA ramps, adding trails and new sidewalks, to adding travel turn lanes, and improving the line of site at traffic signals, we are working to strengthen our community’s neighborhoods and make them safer.”

With this year’s funding the City has invested an unprecedented $130 million in neighborhood transportation improvements since 2014.

This year, there will be projects in more than 190 neighborhoods including alleys, sidewalks, ADA ramps, concrete, asphalt and chip and seal streets, and new trails.

Highlights of the 2019 Projects:

  • Maplecrest Road between State Boulevard and Trier Road will see the addition of two new travel lanes, a trail, a sidewalk, landscaping and lighting.  The project begins in the fall and concludes next year.
  • The Goshen Road project will begin this year with improvements between State Boulevard and Cambridge Boulevard.  The two-year construction project will add turn lanes, pedestrian infrastructure, ADA ramps, landscaping, ornamental lighting, drainage improvements, and a roundabout at the five-way intersection of Goshen Road, Sherman Boulevard and Lillian Avenue. 
  • Road widening projects will also occur on St. Joe Center Road, State Boulevard and Ardmore Avenue.
  • Comprehensive neighborhood concrete work including sidewalk, curb, ADA ramps, and street repair will take place in the neighborhoods of Aboite Meadows, Caribe Colony, Greater McMillen Park, Hillsboro Addition, and the Woodhurst Addition.
  • Intersection improvements at Harris at Coliseum, Hillegas at West Coliseum
  • Besides McKinnie and Hanna, more than 100 City streets will have sections of street repaved this summer, including portions of West State Boulevard, Sherman Boulevard, Warsaw Street, St. Joe Center Road, Capitol Street, Covington Road, Wallen Chase Run, Taylor Street and multiple streets in the neighborhoods of Belle Vista, Westchester Lakes, Bluewater Estates, North Franke Park, and Summit Park. 
  • More than 30 alley reconstruction projects will take place this summer in neighborhoods such as Frances Slocum Neighborhood, Creighton Home, Hoagland Masterson, Williams-Woodland and Oxford Community, to name a few.
  • Besides Maplecrest, new sidewalks will be added on sections of Goeglein Road, Lahmeyer Road, Reed Road, St. Joe Center Road, and Stellhorn Road.
  • New trails will be built at Beckett’s Run, Lake Avenue, Summit Park and Hanna Street.
  • ADA ramps will be added in Mill Ridge Run, Longwood Addition, Oak Glen, Fairmount Association, Seven Oaks, The Coves at Westlakes, Timberon Addition, and Victoria Park.

2019 Numbers

47 miles of asphalt resurfacing

4.75 miles of concrete reconstruction

10 miles of chip and seal resurfacing

16 miles of concrete curb

10 miles of sidewalk repair

4 miles of new trail

4 miles of new sidewalk

3.2 miles of alley resurfacing

380 concrete ADA ramps

A list of 2019 projects can be found at www.cityoffortwayne.org/invest