State Route 59 and Taco Bell major construction projects in Kent

Construction continues on the new Honors College, Stopher and Johnson halls, which is scheduled to open Fall 2006.

Credit: Beth Rankin

Paving and repairs will be done during the summer on state routes 43 and 59 while Taco Bell is being rebuilt.

Looking at the spot where Taco Bell once stood, students stand in awe at the empty lot, wondering where they will now fill their grumbling stomachs at 3 a.m.

For those hungry night owls, Taco Bell will be returning in combination with Long John Silver’s, another Yum! Brands, Inc. company. Yum! also owns Pizza Hut, KFC, and A&W.

“The plan is to be ready to open by the time Kent State is back to school in the fall,” said Kim Brown of the Kent Community Development Department.

The foundation for the new building was just begun. According to the department, the building will be slightly bigger than before.

Can’t wait until the end of the summer to satisfy late-night cravings? The closest Taco Bell for the moment is located at 4431 Kent Road in Stow, just past the construction on 59.

The jack-hammered Main Street, which made graduation and residence hall move-out more difficult, is one of the city of Kent’s largest projects this summer.

The Ohio Department of Transportation began resurfacing state Route 59 from state Route 261 to the Stow border May 9, and they projected that the project would be finished Aug. 15.

Everything is running per plan on the $1 million project, said Sommer Dunlevy of ODOT. Kent is funding 20 percent of the project while ODOT is paying for the rest.

“Paving and paving repairs are going well,” said Dunlevy.

The first course of asphalt has been laid down on the southern end of state Route 59. The next step will add a second course of asphalt. When the southern end is completed, the first course of asphalt will be laid down on the northern side.

“All work is weather dependent,” Dunlevy said, “but we’re on schedule to be completed mid-August.”

As soon as The Shelly Co. hit the Stow/Kent border, they started work on state Route 43.

Construction started Monday because the city wanted contractors to wait until the public schools were out so as not to disrupt bus traffic.

While work on state Route 59 will continue at night, state Route 43 will be worked on during the day.

Contact general assignment reporter Marisa Dalessandro at [email protected].