The Ohio Department of Transportation has awarded the city of East Liverpool a grant to improve accessibility to and from Kent State’s East Liverpool campus and to improve the campus’ overall appearance.

According to an ODOT press release, the department received a $10.5 million grant to fund projects that will provide routes for non-motorized transportation.

ODOT’s Press Secretary Steve Faulkner said the federal grant money would be used for transportation alternatives such as bicycling paths, pedestrian walkways and restoration of historical transportation facilities.

“Just as it is important for us to provide ease of movement of goods and people via highways, state routes and US routes,” Faulkner said. “It’s just as important to provide easy access when it’s appropriate and where it’s appropriate for those who are seeking to travel via bicycle or their own feet.”

Kent’s East Liverpool campus received $799,185 to build a pedestrian route that connects the campus to city businesses, according to the ODOT website.

“This will make the city more accessible and make the area around the campus more attractive,” said Steve Nameth, dean of Columbiana County campuses. “Anything that we can do to help improve the aesthetics of the town will be very beneficial to the whole city.”

Sue Rossi, assistant dean of the East Liverpool campus, said she hopes the new roads, sidewalks and lighting structures will make the campus safer by decreasing the number of accidents at campus intersections among other improvements.

Similarly, Nameth said the college is looking forward to improving campus safety for its students.

“The thing we’re most excited about is the safety aspect and how it will help the students walk around campus and be a lot safer,” Nameth said.

ODOT awarded grants to 21 different counties throughout the state, according to the press release.

Henry Trenkelbach, business services administrator for Columbiana Campuses, said the project is estimated to start in the spring or summer of 2015 and will take six months to one year to complete.

Contact Mackenzie Blanton at [email protected].